Karen's New Start
by SaffronAngel
Summary: Karen is trying to move on after everything she went through in the past year. She has chosen a new school and has a new beau to go with it. How will her life change? Will she be able to handle it? Sequel to Karen's Rescue.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the sequel to Karen's Rescue. I hope that you have read that one if you're reading this.

* * *

Karen sat on the seat of the wagon next to Victoria Barkley as they approached the school that she had chosen to finish her education at. The Stockton Academy for Fine Young Ladies was building quite a reputation for itself as an educational facility for girls of good family.

"Ms. Victoria?"

"Yes, Karen, dear?"

"I will admit. I'm more than just a little nervous. I went to my other school for so long and to be starting at a new school where I don't know anyone is a bit intimidating."

Victoria patted the teenager's hand. "I understand that, dear. I think you've made a fine choice for finishing your education. I have personally known a few young women who have attended this school and they are becoming quite well known for their ability to educate young women."

"That is comforting. And the fact that the entire family has come along to help me settle in is even more so."

"We made a promise to you and to your father. And we Barkleys do not go back on our promises easily. Plus, Heath would never even dream of letting you do this alone. Not if he plans to have a relationship with you." Victoria smiled at her. "After all, how would it look to people if he abandon you to your own devices at this point?"

Karen giggled. Victoria did have a point. It wouldn't look good to anyone, much less her Pa and brothers if the family left her to her own wits with no help. Pa would probably lead the boys out immediately to collect her and bring her home if that happened now. She would probably never leave the house again after that.

"May I help you folks?"

"My name is Victoria Barkley and I and my family have come to settle in your newest student, one Karen Cartwright."

"Yes, Mrs. Barkley. I have your name right here. If you would proceed to the main building, just up this drive, the headmistress will be waiting for you. She has been looking forward to your arrival all day." The man at the gate gestured and another man opened the gate to allow the wagon and the rest of the family through.

"Thank you," Victoria said as she clucked to the team to get it moving. Once clear of the gate, Victoria turned to Karen. "I think it's a very good sign that they have a guarded gate here. And from the looks of things there is a fence all the way around the school. Looks to be very secure here."

"I agree, Ms. Victoria. I think I'll be very safe here. Of course, with your family helping to look out for me, I would be safe anywhere. I don't doubt that."

"Thank you, Karen. I'm glad that you feel safe with us. That means a great deal to myself and my children. Especially Audra and Heath. They both share a close bond with you. And Jarrod and Nick would be honored to know that you feel that way."

Karen looked at the main building for the school which was coming into view. "It's huge!" she breathed. Then she noticed that several young women were sitting on the front porch watching them approach. Karen looked down at her hands in her lap. "So many watching us. I'm more than a little frightened, Ms. Victoria."

Victoria's hand reached over and covered Karen's. "No reason to be frightened, dear. If this seems an ill fit, we'll just take you back to our house and see about one of the other schools another day."

Karen sat up a little straighter. "I think this one will work, Ms. Victoria. I'm just nervous about meeting so many new people."

"I can understand that, my dear. But just remember, you are a Cartwright and you have nothing to be ashamed of. You are Ben Cartwright's daughter in all the manners that count the most. If you weren't, you would not have been able to escape that evil woman that took you from your old school. And, yes, Adam and Ben told me how long you'd been on the run from her when Adam found you. And yet you survived. You survived when others would not have. You helped your brothers to find you and you stayed alive long enough to get somewhere they could help you. You remembered everything they taught you and used it to your greatest advantage in that situation. You have nothing to fear here." Victoria smiled at the teen next to her. "In fact, in comparison, this should be easy."

"Thank you, Ms. Victoria. You knew just what to say to make me feel better. Thank you."

"My pleasure, dear. Now, let's go meet your new headmistress."**

Victoria pulled up in front of the building and put on the brake for the wagon. Jarrod had come up next to the wagon and helped his mother down while Heath had stepped to Karen's side and helped her down. Meanwhile, Nick had escorted his sister to the porch with everyone else.

"Mrs. Barkley, how wonderful to see you!" gushed an older woman. She walked to Victoria and took the woman's hand. "How are you?"

"Fine, Mrs. Anderton. And yourself?"

"Just fine. I understand you've brought us a new student. And your three handsome sons and beautiful daughter have come with you to introduce her. Would this be the young lady in question?" she asked turning to Karen.

"Yes. May I introduce Karen Elizabeth Cartwright? Karen, this is Mrs. Jocelyn Anderton, Headmistress of the school. She will be the one you will speak to if there are any problems."

Karen stepped forward. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Anderton. I'm truly honored that you would consider allowing me to attend here."

"Our pleasure, my dear. Helping young women educate themselves is a hefty obligation. And one that I take on gladly. It is my belief that one day women will be able to use such education to run their own lives and perhaps even businesses."

"Mrs. Anderton, no man will ever allow a woman to run a business," one of the young girls on the porch stated.

"Gladys, you can not make any guarantees in that arena. Someday girls will not be as hindered as they are now. After all, Mrs. Barkley runs a rather large property not far from here."

"Do you really, Mrs. Barkley? Or do your sons run it for you?"

"Oh no, young lady. Our mother runs the property all by herself. I am there only to provide assistance if she should need it in the legal arena. My brothers and I help with doing the work and we report to her if there's anything that's needed on the ranch. She then looks at the books and makes the decision if we can afford it or not," Jarrod was quick to point out.

"Thank you, Jarrod." Victoria was polite. But her son knew that she could speak for herself. And she was quite good at it.

"I want the young lady to understand that not one of us boys would ever contradict your authority when it comes to the ranch, Mother. Father left it to you, to come to the rest of us only when you were gone. And hopefully that won't be for many years yet."

"And who are these other fine young people with you, Mrs. Barkley?" Mrs. Anderton asked.

"We have my oldest son, Jarrod. The next is my middle son, Nick. My daughter, Audra. And my youngest son, Heath. All four of them assist me wherever needed on the ranch."

"And do I understand correctly that Miss Cartwright will be spending weekends at your ranch?"

"You do. She enjoys time spent with Audra. As well as the rest of us. And I shall enjoy having her. I promised her father that anytime she wished to come to the ranch and stay with us, she would be more than welcome. Equally, she is welcome to spend weekends here at the school if she feels extra study time would be beneficial. I have it on good authority that she is a very conscientious student."

"We would be glad to have her here as one of our students. Gladys, would you be so kind as to show Miss Cartwright to the empty room on the second floor?"

Gladys stood up and stepped forward. "If you will follow me?" Karen followed Gladys into the building and up the stairs, a little nervous at being away from the Barkleys in a strange place.

Gladys led her up the stairs. "I do hope you don't think badly of me for doubting that women will ever be allowed to run businesses. It just seems like men do everything in their power to keep us under their control."

"I don't think badly of you for that. But I believe that one day women will run businesses. It may be a long ways off but I believe that it will happen. My Pa even thinks so. He admires Mrs. Barkley for running the ranch so well on her own the way she does. He says lots of men have tried to take the land from her but she holds her own against all of them."

"What's your Pa's name?"

"Ben Cartwright." Gladys stopped and turned around.

"Ben Cartwright is your Pa?" Karen nodded. "Wow! I never thought I'd meet anyone from that family! Your Pa is famous out this way."

Karen nodded. She'd heard that before. But she would never think of him as famous. He was her Pa and she loved him. That was all that mattered.**

"Don't you think it's wonderful that your pa's famous?" Gladys asked.

Karen shrugged. "Famous or not, he's my Pa and that's all that matters to me. I love him and my brothers."

"That's a good thing. Will they be coming to visit at any point?"

"I really don't know. I think it all depends on how things are going back home. I know that my brother Adam plans on keeping in touch with me through the Barkleys. He even told me that he was thinking about coming out to visit at some point. Maybe close to Christmas time."

"Do you think he really will?"

"When Adam says he's going to do something, he usually does it unless there's a very good reason for him not to." Karen smiled. "He's a lot like Pa in that way. And Adam plans things out to make sure that he has everything in place for things to work out right for him."**

"Is he really that thorough?"

Karen nodded. "When I was kidnapped, he, Hoss and Little Joe spread out looking for me. Adam was the one who set up a litter with extra blankets and food so that he could take care of me if he were the one that found me."

Gladys' eyes went rather dreamy. "To have a brother as handsome and smart as Adam must be tough."

"Actually, I find it absolutely wonderful. He and I share so much in common that we always have something to talk about. And he always understands when I just can't lay in bed and let people take care of me. Just not who I am." She shrugged.

"Oh I don't know. I think I could really get into having people take care of me all the time."

"It gets boring. And when it's because of a head injury you have to deal with that pain on top of anything else that comes along."

"A head injury? How bad was it?"

"Well the first one, I received when I escaped from my kidnapper. A rock fell off a cliff and hit me right in the head. That one healed well. Had disappeared completely when the second one happened. I had gone out to my mother's grave. I tripped and fell, hit my head on her tombstone. Mrs. Barkley's youngest, Heath, found me. That one I had several headaches from."

"Heath is so cute." Gladys turned and started up the stairs again. She came out on the second floor and walked about halfway down the hall before stopping in front of one room. "This will be your room. When you start your final year here, you'll be moved up to the third floor. That's where the oldest girls sleep." Gladys showed her where the bathrooms were on the floor and explained that there were outhouses nearby if they were needed. But that it was rare that someone had to go out to them. "We all take baths every other day. The headmistress will let you know which days you will be able to get a bath. I guess that's everything here that I need to show you. I'll walk back downstairs with you so that you can start bringing your things up to your room."  
"Will it be alright if the Barkley's help me to bring up my things?"

"I think that Mrs. Anderton will allow that. At least for today. But you'll have to ask her to be certain. Oh, I should tell you. Until you move to the third floor, this room will remain your room. We don't move around to different rooms each year like some schools do. Your things will remain in this room until you move to the third floor. Even over summer break. Each of us has our own room. No roommates. Mrs. Anderton says it distracts us from our studies. We can study together of course but we don't have roommates."

"I can work with that." Karen followed Gladys back down the stairs and went right to Mrs. Anderton when they got back to the front porch. "Mrs. Anderton, I would like to ask permission for the Barkleys to assist me in bringing my things up to my room."

"I think that would be quite alright. But no dawdling, dear. We must finish quickly so that we don't disrupt the meal schedule too much."

"Of course, Mrs. Anderton. We will be as quick as possible."

At that point, Heath, Nick and Jarrod had already each grabbed Karen's things and were ready to follow her up to her room. They placed her things in her room and before they went back downstairs to the porch, each of them gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you on Saturday to bring you back to the ranch, Karen," Heath said before the family left.

"I'll be watching for you, Heath. I look forward to spending time with all of you over the weekend."

"I'll make sure that Silas knows you'll be coming, dear," Victoria said gently. "He'll have a room ready for you when you arrive." Victoria leaned in and kissed Karen's cheek before climbing back onto the wagon. "Until then, Karen."

"Yes, ma'am." Karen stepped back from the wagon as Victoria put the horses in motion and turned the wagon. The three boys stepped up onto their horses and each rode past Karen, smiling at her.

"Karen, lunch will be served just momentarily. You will be joining us?"

"Yes, ma'am." Karen realized that she was definitely getting rather hungry and was hoping that the food here could at least compare to Hop Sing's cooking. She turned to go into the house and followed the others to the dining room.


	2. Chapter 2

Karen was impressed. She hadn't expected to find a cook that could rival Hop Sing.

When she left the table that evening to go up to her room, she found herself so full that she worried about whether or not she would be able to sleep that night.

She walked up the stairs and went straight to her room. She was exhausted because it had been a long day. Lunch had been wonderful. Supper had been even better. She had felt just full when she left lunch. She had spent the afternoon unpacking her things and wishing that she was still at the Barkley ranch with Heath and Audra.

At least, until she found what Heath had slipped into her suitcase. He had put one of his shirts in her suitcase with a small note.

 _Dear Karen,_

 _I thought this might help you remember that we all love you and will be close by should you need us. I hope that you think of me fondly and often, but not too often. Wouldn't want you to get distracted from your studies._

 _Love,_

 _Heath_

She felt the tears well up in her eyes as she held the shirt to her chest. Heath was so sweet and caring. She was so glad to have him in her life. His whole family was incredible. They had stepped in to make sure that she felt safe and protected in her new school. They offered her a place in their home for weekends so that she would feel safer and not so alone.

She dressed for bed and then wrapped herself in the shirt he had sent with her over her nightgown. She got under her covers and curled up, feeling safe and protected. She couldn't wait to see him that weekend and thank him for the thoughtful gift.

When lights out was announced for the night, Karen was already sound asleep. Mrs. Anderton simply smiled when she looked in on Karen and blew out the lantern.

* * *

By the end of the week, Karen had settled in to the new school quite nicely. She was doing very well in all of her classes and in fact was a little ahead of most of her classmates. She and Gladys had become good friends as she had with a few other girls in her class.

Saturday morning dawn clear and crisp. Karen was up with the sun, preparing to go to the Barkley ranch. She had a small bag packed and was just finishing up some homework when the bell rang for breakfast.

She went downstairs and settled in at the table, prepared to eat. Breakfast was incredible. Not that she really tasted it. She was so focused on finishing up her meal that she didn't even notice that she had been watched all the way through by her classmates.

"I think she's got a crush on that Heath Barkley," she heard one of the newer girls whisper to someone who had been there a while.

"I would wager you would be right. Of course, do you blame her? He is quite handsome and quite a catch."

"But the question becomes; does he return the feelings?"

"I don't know for certain but I do believe he might. You didn't see the looks he was giving her before they left when they brought her here. He looked like it was breaking his heart to leave her here instead of taking her back to their ranch."

"What a good-looking couple they would make! Both such beautiful people." A third girl had joined the conversation and, just as Karen finished her last bite, they all heard the wagon approaching the school.

"Mrs. Anderton, may I please be excused?" Karen asked.

"Of course, dear. And we will see you Sunday evening."

"Thank you, ma'am." Karen left the table and walked out to the front door where her bag was waiting for her. As she opened the door, Heath had just stepped down from the wagon and had his foot on the first step to the porch.

He looked up as the front door opened and smiled when he saw Karen standing there. "Hello, Karen."

"Hello, Heath. It's good to see you again."

"I missed you. So I left early. I was hoping I'd get here just in time for you to have finished breakfast."

"I had just finished my last bite when I heard the wagon pulling into the yard." She ducked her head for a moment. "I missed you too. Very much."

He smiled at her again. "Let's head back. Audra asked me to tell you that she missed you too." He stepped up closer and took the bag from her hand. Then, he took her hand and led her down to the wagon. He made sure that she was seated on the bench before moving around the wagon and placing her bag in the back of the wagon.

He climbed up and sat down next to her. Touching her hand before he took up the reins, he smiled as he set the horses in motion and started back down the drive.

Heath listened as Karen told him about how her first week at school had gone and then he told her about the week at the ranch. "The three mares that were so close foaled this week. The foals are doing pretty well so far. One of them took a little longer to get up on her feet but I think she'll be just fine now that she's up and moving. Audra and I helped Silas prepare a room for you. Got it all cleaned up and the bed made up fresh just for you, Karen."

"I hope that didn't make too much work for Silas," Karen said.

"Silas actually told me that he was glad to see that I had found someone who made me happy. He had been starting to worry about me. Of course, he worries about all of us. And he worries about Mother too. He worries that someone is going to try taking advantage of her being without a man out here like this."

"I don't think he has much to worry about there. Ms. Victoria is a very formidable woman in her own right. And she has all of you there to help look out for her as well as the ranch hands. She would be more than a challenge for anyone that tried to take advantage of her. She's a very smart woman as well."

"She is. I'm so proud to have her and the others as family. I may not be blood related to her but she has been a mother to me since taking me into her home when I came to them. My initial time with the family was not easy. I always felt like I had to fight to earn my place but eventually they all accepted me into the fold. Especially once we found out that the reason I never knew my father was that my biological mother never told him about me. Only told me about that fact when she was dying." He shook his head. "I don't hate her though. I actually feel sorry for her, hating him for so long that she kept the birth of his son from him. I feel sorry for myself having not known Audra, Jarrod, Nick and especially Mother my whole life. But I don't hate my biological mother. She gave me life and raised me the best she could on her own even though I doubt she would have had to had she told Tom Barkley about me. But I think maybe she was afraid that he would try to take me from her when I was younger and raise me with his other children. Later on, I realized that she had probably gotten pregnant on purpose, trying to snag herself a wealthy husband and get away from the town I was raised in. We never had a lot but I was generally quite happy."

"I wish I had known my biological parents. But, Ben Cartwright has been a wonderful father to me. He has always treated me like I was actually one of his children. Never did I feel excluded or left out. I never felt singled out due to being a girl either. But never treated like just one of the boys. I was treated as a Cartwright. And I loved it. The boys taught me a lot about survival. That was how I survived Annabelle taking me. I jumped from the back of a train and hid in the woods near the tracks until sundown. When I knew which way was west, I started heading south, figuring the wooded area I was in was one of them that was north of the Ponderosa. I got hit in the head by a rather good-sized rock that somehow came loose and tumbled down a cliff at me. It made me have dizzy spells and gave me a rotten headache. I kept moving though. For seven days, I kept moving in order to get as close to home as I could. I only stopped long enough to collect some berries to eat and drink some water. By the time Adam found me, I had gotten to within six days of the ranch. I guess I passed out on the path and he found me there. He told me that night when he made camp that it would be about five days to get me home. A few days later, we met up with Hoss coming from a different direction. He helped us and the next afternoon, we made it back to the house and Pa sent for the doctor. I had an awful fever from what the boys told me. They were scared until the doctor told them that they'd done a good job of getting it under control."

"How long did it take before you started going out to your parents' graves?"

"I wasn't comfortable going alone until about three weeks before you and your family came to the ranch. I was a little nervous when Pa told me you were coming. I'd never met any of you before. At least not that I remember. But I knew the family name. Pa had told me that your family had been at the Ponderosa the day I was born. That they had helped a lot with me in the first few days. Your mother even made sure that none of the boys or Pa was nervous about changing my diapers when needed. Pa says that she and Audra were a godsend in those first few weeks after my birth."

"I can only imagine how nervous Hoss would have been holding a delicate little girl in those huge hands of his," Heath chuckled. "He probably was so afraid of dropping you that he didn't even want to hold you at first."

"He told me that very truth." Karen was giggling now. She sobered up quickly. "Then, he told me that he looked into my eyes and saw the trust there. After that, he trusted himself to hold me without dropping me."

"But you've fully recovered from the ordeal you went through with that evil woman?"

"A few nightmares yet. But overall, yes. I have recovered from that ordeal. Thank you for worrying about me, Heath. You're very sweet."

"To you, yes. To anyone that tries to hurt you or take you from me, no. And I'm afraid that might even extend to my own family."

"Heath, no! Your family is so much more important than I am! You can't ever turn against them!"

"Karen, I won't lose you. I have finally found someone who makes me feel like I can be my own person and be proud of it. I won't give that up."

"I don't ever want to think about you possibly turning against your family. You can't do that. It wouldn't be right." She placed one hand over his. "Please don't talk like that, Heath. The thought that you could turn your back on your family for me isn't a good one."

"I won't talk about it for now. But I wanted you to know that, while I'm not one hundred percent certain I would, it is a possibility. Depending on where they stood in the situation."

He knew that, if they were the ones hurting her or trying to take her from him, he would turn on them just like a rabid dog. He loved Karen that much. And he was certain of that much without question.

The two finished the ride back to Barkley territory in a distinctly companionable silence. Each knew that the other was thinking about the turn their conversation had taken. But what they would be able to do about that direction neither one knew. And wouldn't know unless the situation arose.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Ritachris01. Thank you for all your gentle prodding to get this one done and put up. It tried to be difficult but here it is finally.

* * *

The wagon pulled up to the Barkley ranch house to find everyone waiting on the front porch for Karen's arrival. Victoria was smiling as the wagon pulled up. Jarrod stepped down to the side where Karen was and helped her down while Nick took her bag out of the back of the wagon.

Some of the ranch hands moved in and took the wagon and team around to put them away. Audra stepped down and hugged Karen before she even got on the steps. "I know you've only been there a week, Karen, but I missed you. I couldn't wait for you to come back for the weekend."

"Thank you, Audra. I missed you too." The two women walked up the steps. "And I missed you, Ms. Victoria. I'm glad to be here."

"We're all glad to have you back, Karen. We've missed you." Victoria's words made Karen feel warm and safe inside. She loved the way she felt around the Barkley clan.

"Miss Karen, I hope it's okay that we put your room right between Miss Audra and Mr. Heath?" Silas asked.

"Silas, I would be happy with whatever room you set up for me. Thank you. I hope it wasn't much trouble?"

"No, ma'am. No trouble at all. I'm happy that you're here and that the family is happier with you here." Silas took her bag from Nick and turned to her. "I'll just go put this in your room. Lunch will be promptly at noon. I've taken the liberty of setting up the grill, at Mr. Jarrod's request. I need to go finish preparing everything for lunch after I drop this off for you."

Karen smiled at the man and laughed. "Thank you, Silas. I appreciate everything you've done to help settle me in."

"You're very welcome, Miss." With that, Silas headed into the house.

"Come sit down, Karen," Victoria said kindly.

Once Victoria, Audra and Karen were seated at the small table on the front porch, all of the boys vanished to do whatever it was they were each working on.

"Would you like some lemonade, Karen?" Audra asked, refilling her own glass and her mother's.

"I would. Thank you, Audra."

When Audra had placed the glass in front of her, Karen took a sip and closed her eyes. "Wonderful. This is excellent lemonade."

"I'm sure the kitchen staff will appreciate the compliment, Karen. I've always enjoyed the lemonade they make and had asked them to make this in honor of you being here tonight."

"Thank you, Audra. I'm so glad you did." Karen sighed. "I have looked forward to this all week."

"Are things going alright for you at school?"

"They are. I think I've already made at least three friends. They are all very kind to me."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure that you'll make more friends as time goes by," Victoria said gently. Karen was a wonderful girl and she knew that she would make friends quickly.

"I hope so, Ms. Victoria. I would like to have friends here. It would make things much easier."

"I understand that," Audra said. And she really did. Karen would have a much easier time being away from her family if she had several friends that she could spend time with at school. It would make the time go faster so that she couldn't dwell on being away from family. Audra smiled at her young friend. "Why don't I show you where your room is? Then you can freshen up for lunch. Jarrod has things set up so that he can barbecue and show you how good he is." Audra laughed. "Jarrod always thinks he has to show off how well he can barbecue. As if any of us can forget."

"Audra, don't tease your brother. He can't help that he's learned well how to cook on a grill." Listening to the playful banter between Victoria and Audra made Karen very glad that they had opened their house to her. She felt like she had two families. And she couldn't feel more blessed.

"I just don't understand why he feels such a need to make so certain that we all know that he can cook anything on a grill. I don't know about anyone else but I don't think I would ever forget how good everything tastes when Jarrod cooks on the grill. He's almost too good at it."

"I can't wait. It all smells delicious already. What has the kitchen made up to go with it?"

"Silas says we have coleslaw, potato salad, and pasta salad as well as baked beans. For desert, we have a fresh fruit salad," Audra said. "Of course, supper will just be more of the same because we'll never eat it all for lunch. We'll be able to nibble on this stuff all day."

"I hope I can control myself around all of this magnificent food," Karen giggled.

"It's hard sometimes to have people around you who can cook so well. I have to remind myself constantly that it's okay to walk past the table and not grab something to eat. Otherwise, I would be the size of a house," Victoria said with a bit of a laugh.

A random thought ran through Karen's mind. _'I wonder if Heath would still like me if I put on some weight.'_

"Karen, you seemed a bit distant there for a moment." She realized that Victoria was talking to her and brought her thoughts back to the conversation at hand. "Were you thinking about anything in particular or just letting your mind drift?"

"Just drifting, Ms. Victoria. Just drifting. Glad to be away from school for a little while. It's more relaxing to be here."

"Karen, maybe I should show you to your room so that you can freshen up before lunch is ready?" Audra offered. She thought she knew where Karen's thoughts had gone and she wanted to talk to Karen about it.

"Okay. I would like to wash up a bit before lunch is ready. It was a bit of a dusty ride here this morning." Karen nodded to Victoria. "If you will excuse us, Ms. Victoria."

"Of course, dear. I'll see you for lunch." Both Karen and Audra stood and walked away from the table.

The two young women walked quietly through the big house for a few moments before Audra spoke. "Karen, tell me what you're thinking about."

"I've often thought I was far too small. Too dainty. Too fragile. I don't know if that was a result of not having a mother around to tell me that it just wasn't true or what. I do know that I did my best to hide those feelings from Pa and the boys because they didn't treat me like I was fragile or dainty. They always treated me like a girl who could do anything that they could do if they just taught me how. I was just wondering what Heath would think if I gained a little bit of weight."

"That would be something that you would need to talk to him about. I couldn't answer that question. But I will say that I think you are built perfectly. You're beautiful, Karen."

"Thank you, Audra. I appreciate that. I know that I eat enough to keep me healthy. And outside of the knock to the head that I took while escaping from Annabelle, I've always been pretty healthy. Outside of the usual childhood illnesses anyway. I just think I need something more."

"Karen, you still have growing to do. Don't sell yourself short on this. Let your body tell you what you need. It won't steer you wrong." She put a solid hand on Karen's shoulder. "Let's go get freshened up before lunch is ready and the boys start without us." The two laughed and walked down to Karen's room.

Sitting down at the table for lunch, Karen found herself seated between Heath and Audra. There were more greetings from everyone as the family found its way to the table. News passed from one to another as readily as the food was passed.

"So, Karen, what are some of your classes like?"

"Well, I'm thoroughly enjoying English so far. We're studying Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet for now. The teacher says we may look at Macbeth next. She's not certain. We have to cover certain ones but she gets to choose the order we do them in."

"Very progressive." Jarrod's words told Karen that he approved of giving teachers some freedom in the curriculum of their classes. Not all schools did that.

Heath seemed to be all too aware of the young woman sitting next to him. He found himself wanting to reach out and take her hand in his own and hold on to her as long as possible. He didn't want to take her back to the school. He wanted to keep her with him. He wanted to marry her and have her by his side forever.

Karen had thoughts about Heath running through her mind as well. She could almost picture what it would be like when he asked her to marry him. She could nearly picture the two of them having children together and watching the children run in the sunlight. They were amazing sights to see in her mind. She just hoped no one caught her daydreaming. She'd hate to have to explain it to anyone else. That would be so embarrassing.

She wasn't even sure if she could ever explain it to Heath himself. She just hoped that he was having the same thoughts running through his mind that she was having through hers.

When everyone left the table after lunch, Karen decided to walk outside for a bit. Stretch her legs as it were. She started walking and let her mind wander even further than she had during lunch. She watched some of the hands working on a section of fence as she walked. And it didn't take her long to wander much further than she had planned.

Looking around, she realized that, while she hadn't gone outside the fence marking the edge of Barkley territory, she had gotten quite a distance from the main house and it was going to take her a while to get back. The sun was starting to sink low on the horizon and she knew that she should have been paying attention to where she'd been going and how long she'd been walking.

Starting back toward the main house, she realized that it was a good thing that she could still see the smoke from the kitchen rising up to the sky. It would be her guide to get her back.

* * *

"Audra, have you seen Karen since lunch?" Victoria had looked for and found her four children on the front porch, talking amongst themselves.

"No, Mother. I haven't. Haven't you?"

"No. And it's almost dinner time. Jarrod, Heath, Nick, I would appreciate it if the three of you would ride out and see if she's still within our property lines. Our property is rather large and she could easily get lost out there on her own. I'd rather not have to explain that to Ben."

"Of course, Mother. We'll find her." Jarrod kissed his mother's cheek as he grabbed his hat. His brothers followed suit.

"Mother, you don't think anything's happened to her, do you?" Audra asked, worried about Karen.

"I'm sure she just lost track of time and is heading back even now. I'm sure she's just fine, Audra. I just want her back here at the house before dark fall. It's much too easy to get turned around in the dark. And with as large as our property is, that could be a very bad thing."

Audra settled into the living room to wait with her mother for the boys to return with Karen.

* * *

"Karen! Karen!" called Nick from the back of his horse. He was hoping that he found her soon. It was getting dark and the temperature was dropping as the sun sank lower.

"Nick? Nick, is that you?" came the young voice from the dark.

"Karen?"

"Thank goodness. I walked much farther than I thought I had and so I started back and – and – and."

Nick stepped down from the horse, wanting to calm the girl before she started to panic. "It's okay, Karen. I can give you a ride back to the house if you want."

"That would be wonderful. I'm getting so tired."

"Well, Mother sent us out to find you when Audra told her that she hadn't seen you since lunch and it was almost dinner time. I'm glad to see that, other than being tired, you're just fine."

He stepped back up on the horse and held out his hand for Karen. She took it and he pulled her up to sit in front of him. "You don't want me behind you?" Karen asked as he settled her in front of him.

"I'd rather keep you in front of me. Just in case you doze off on the way back. That way, I can keep you from falling off and getting hurt." Karen just nodded and leaned on Nick.

* * *

Jarrod and Heath rode into the front yard of the main house just as Nick arrived with Karen sound asleep in front of him. "Nick! Where did you find her?" asked Heath running over to his brother's horse.

"She had been walking and had gone out past where the hands had been working on that section of fence that had come down the other day. She told me that she just started walking and next thing she knew the sun was going down and she realized that she'd walked a long ways out. At least, she was heading in the right direction to get back here. Heath, Jarrod, come take her so that we can get her in out of the chill of the night air."

Both men walked over and the two of them helped Nick slide Karen from in front of him to their arms. Jarrod had the better grip on her so he carried her into the house and straight to the room Silas had set up for her.

Once she was tucked into bed, Jarrod left the room and Heath sat down in a chair near her bed. Victoria looked at him. "What are you doing, Heath?"

"Keeping an eye on her, Mother. If she wakes chilled during the night, I will be able to bring her an extra blanket. This way, I can also make sure that she doesn't develop a fever through the night. And if she does, I will be able to wake you immediately so that we can send for the doctor."

"Very well, Heath. Just be certain that this is not for other reasons."

"Absolutely not. I just want to make sure that she doesn't come down sick. And if she does, this way we can call for the doctor sooner and maybe get her better quicker."

Victoria and her other children left the room quietly. Audra turned to her mother in the hallway. "Mother, why would you question Heath's motives like that? Do you doubt him in some way?"

"Not at all, Audra. I know that Heath is as much a gentleman as your other brothers. I just wanted him to know that I care enough about Karen to make sure that she is safe and protected. Just as I did with you for so long and still do from time to time. Karen is still quite young. She needs the protection that I offer her. She understands this and so does Heath. Karen has been, according to Ben, quite sheltered compared to her brothers. She has been taught quite a bit by her brothers but still, she has been sheltered."

"I don't understand why Heath needs to know that you care that way about Karen."

"Simple, dear. He needs to know that I see her as one of my children already and, if he makes the decision to pursue a relationship with her further, I accept her in this house as a member of our family. I also know that, even though she's asleep, Karen probably heard me and heard Heath's responses to my questions. It would reassure her that she was safe and protected here just as she would be at home. She will sleep easier and be less likely to get quite as sick."

"I think I understand now. Thank you for explaining it to me, Mother. I'll keep that in mind."

She patted Audra's cheek. "Also I wanted Heath to remember why he was sitting with Karen. She still has nightmares about the times she was kidnapped. I've heard her crying in her sleep when I walk the hall at night sometimes." Seeing Audra's look, she smiled at her daughter. "You know that sometimes I have a hard time sleeping. I walk the house, checking on each and every one of you. Once I'm certain that everyone is safe and sound in their own rooms, I can usually get back to sleep."

"I know, Mother. I just wish you didn't feel the need to do that."

"It's gotten worse since Karen's kidnapping. Ben told me about both kidnappings before we ever went to visit them the time that Heath and Karen started getting close. Ever since, I wake up in the middle of the night and feel a need to check on everybody. In fact, finding out about the kidnappings is what drove me to take all of you to see him. I felt the need to show him some support. And to make sure that she knew that if it happened again, she would have two places to run to if she needed them."

"I'm sure she knows that now. And that she's glad to have us as well as her father."

"Exactly what I was aiming for. Now, I don't know about you but I think a bite to eat is just what I need right now." Victoria placed an arm around Audra's shoulders and steered her toward the dining room so that the two of them could find something to eat before retiring to bed for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Karen woke up the next morning to find Heath sound asleep in a chair next to her bed. She struggled to sit up only to find that she had been changed out of her dress and into a nightgown. She looked at herself in amazement.

"Audra and Mother changed you when they realized that you weren't going to wake up for dinner. They sent me out of the room and changed your clothes. When I came back in, you were changed and tucked under the covers." Karen's eyes flew to meet Heath's. She felt a sense of panic welling up inside her. She hoped that Victoria wasn't angry with her.

"I'm so sorry I wandered off. I worried everyone, didn't I?"

"Well, Mother was a little concerned. Audra seemed more worried than Mother did when she sent the three of us boys out to look for you. I think Mother knew that one of us would find you. I just don't think she thought it would be Nick."

"That's right. Nick found me and pulled me up in front of him on his horse. I was so tired. My legs hurt too but I thought that was minor. Just muscle pains from walking so much. He told me that he had me in front of him just in case I fell asleep. That way he could hold on to me and keep me from falling off if I fell asleep. I was asleep when he brought me here, wasn't I?"

Heath nodded. "You were. Jarrod and I slid you from Nick's horse and Jarrod carried you inside. I set up camp right here next to you. At least, until Mother and Audra kicked me out so they could change your clothes. Outside of that, I've been right here since last night."

Karen felt tears burning her eyes. She hated that he would see her cry but she couldn't seem to help herself. "Heath, I was getting so tired. I was just hoping that I was heading in the right direction. I thought I was walking toward the smoke from the kitchen."

"Relax, Karen. Nick told us that you were definitely heading in the right direction. He said that you were on course to have made it back by yourself. He just sped up the process. That's all. And, with you being as tired as you were, that would be a good thing. Otherwise, you might have wandered a bit since being tired can affect a person's ability to walk in a straight line. That might have led you off into the wilderness and gotten you lost. That would have worried all of us. Me included. Mother probably would have sent everyone she could out to find you."

"That would have been awful. Do you think she's forgiven me?"

"I think that most likely, yes. Mother is not the type to hold a grudge. She forgives easily under most circumstances. And I think that, in this instance, she's probably already forgiven and will probably just ask you to be more careful where you wander in the future." Heath moved from his chair to sit beside her on the bed. "I would ask the same thing. After all, I rather like having you in my life. I'd like to continue seeing you there. And, if you got lost or hurt while you were here, your father might send your brothers to bring you home and lock you away from me forever."

"I would never let him do that."

"How could you stop him? He's your father and has care of you until you're old enough."

"Pa can try. But he knows that I wouldn't make things easy on him. He'd have to deal with temper tantrums, running away, and all kinds of other unpleasantness. I'm not always as sweet as I seem." She threw a coy look at Heath.

He laughed. "You are quite the young woman, Karen Elizabeth Cartwright." Calming down, Heath brushed a stray hair back from her face. "Are you ready to get up and get dressed for breakfast?"

She nodded just as her stomach growled. She giggled as a blush ran across her face. "I think my stomach has just put in its vote."

Heath chuckled and nodded. He stood up. "I'll step out into the hallway while you dress. Then, I'll escort you downstairs."

Heath stepped out and closed the door behind him. Karen quickly dressed in one of her easier dresses to get into and out of. It was a dark blue day dress with a simple zipper in the back. It even had a pull to help with getting it on and off. Pulling the zipper up her back, Karen slipped her feet into the shoes near her bed before opening the door to the hallway.

Heath stood right there against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway from her door. "Very nice, Karen. Are you ready?"

She nodded and took the arm he offered and they walked down the stairs to the dining room for breakfast.

When they arrived in the dining room, Audra and Victoria had already arrived and were seated at the table waiting for everyone else. "Good morning, Karen dear. Do you feel better after your sleep?" Victoria asked her as Heath held her chair for her to sit down in.

"I do. Thank you, Ms. Victoria. I'm sorry for worrying everyone yesterday. It was just such a nice day and I just started walking and, unfortunately, didn't pay attention to how far I had gone before I realized that I was rather far out from the house. That was the point I turned around and started back, following the sight of the column of smoke from the kitchen. I was so tired by the time Nick found me that I wasn't even certain that I was heading in the right direction anymore."

"But you feel alright now?" Victoria asked.

"Yes. I feel very well rested. My legs don't hurt anymore. I have no chill. And I feel much refreshed."

"I'm glad, dear. I'm very glad that you didn't get lost and that you didn't get sick from being out so late without a cloak or any kind of shelter."

"I am too, Ms. Victoria. Very glad indeed."

"There she is," Jarrod's voice rang out as he and Nick walked into the dining room. "We stopped by your room to make sure you were coming to breakfast since you missed dinner last night. No one was there."

"Heath walked me down here a little while ago. We were just talking to Ms. Victoria and Audra," Karen said. She looked at Nick. "Thank you for coming after me last night, Nick. I don't know what would have happened had you not found me. And I'm glad we didn't have to find out."

Nick took his seat across the table from Heath. Jarrod took his next to his mother, while Audra had already taken the seat at the opposite end of the table from her mother.

"Karen, I already see you as a little sister, much like Audra. I would have done the same for her as I did for you. That's what family does for one another."

"He's right, Karen. We all view you as another member of the family. We went out to find you last night because we knew that you don't know your way around the property very well yet. As time goes, we'll help you learn your way around here better." Jarrod smiled at her as he spoke, letting her know that he was serious but not upset. "I'm just glad that you were found before you got too chilled. Nick's always been the best tracker we have in this family. I'm not surprised that he found you."

"Jarrod's right, Karen. Nick is the best tracker we have here. Not that Jarrod or Heath can't track. They just aren't quite as good as Nick," Audra piped in. She smiled at Karen. She couldn't wait until they got to start planning a wedding for Karen and Heath.

Karen bowed her head with a blush and didn't say a word. She felt welcomed and treasured among this family just like she did with her own. Heath reached out and took her hand in order to make her feel that they weren't just teasing her to tease her. But she already knew that it was teasing in the sense that they were making her feel like she belonged. She was happy to have the Barkley's behind her as well as her family.

 _'At least, if someone else like Annabelle comes along, I'll be better protected. Heath and his brothers won't let anything happen to me if they can do anything about it.'_

Raising her head, she smiled. "Thank you all for making me feel so welcome. I really do love it here."

"I'm glad you elected to come back to the house for weekends," Victoria said. "You brighten up the house so much."

"Thank you, Ms. Victoria. I appreciate that. I do know that there may be weekends that I need to stay at school in order to study for coming tests and such."

"And that is not going to be a problem. You just let whoever is coming for you that weekend know what's going on and we'll understand. Your studies come first for now. There will be plenty of time to relax later." Victoria smiled at the young woman who had come to find a place within the family just as Heath had. The only true difference between the two was that Heath was a Barkley by blood, Karen in spirit. She knew the two would make a strong couple once they got past her youth and his jaded state.

Heath also smiled at Karen but for a different reason. When she was around he found himself wanting to smile more. Wanting to see the answering smile on her face. He knew he was falling for her fast but he was determined to make sure that she was happy here before he tried to take their relationship to the next level. And he wasn't quite sure how he would go about that feat.

Both Nick and Jarrod smiled seeing their brother's discomfort. They could tell what he was thinking about and they decided not to tease him about it but rather to help him find his way. Both were glad to see that he seemed to be getting more than a little bit serious about Karen. And that she seemed to feel the same about him.

Karen squeezed Heath's hand as she smiled at him. She knew that she had a family here and it made her feel as safe as if she were back at the Ponderosa with her Pa and brothers. She was glad that the Barkleys felt this way about her.

Just then, Silas and the kitchen staff started bringing in the meal. Everything smelled so good that, once grace had been said, Karen, like everyone else at the table dug into the food in front of them. Karen almost wished she didn't have to go back to the school. But she knew that she would eventually need the education that she was getting there. If for no other reason then to run her home when she married and moved in to the home that her husband established for them.

"Heath, what time are we leaving for me to get back to the school?"

"Since it's only about an hour's ride from here, I was thinking we would leave shortly after lunch. That way you would be back in time for dinner and getting a good night's sleep. It would also give me time to get back here and get the team and carriage put up before it got too dark outside."

"That sounds good to me. Although a part of me wishes I was staying here longer." Karen looked down at her lap as she admitted to the last part.

"We understand that, Karen," Victoria said sympathetically. She really did. Part of her wished that Karen didn't have to go back to the school. And she knew that Audra felt the same. "But we're all proud of you for continuing your education."

"I know that I'll need the things I'm learning one day. If for no other reason than the fact that eventually I'll get married and these things will help me to run my home." She looked up at Victoria. "Plus, I won't be the reason that Pa doesn't follow through on his promise to my mother."

"I'll be honest with you, Karen. I don't think that anyone would blame you if you decided to take some time off from school after all that's happened to you. Least of all, your Pa," Audra said.

Victoria nodded. "I do believe that Audra's right. I know that I certainly wouldn't blame you. You have been through quite an ordeal. Just with the first time you were kidnapped. Not to mention the second time. You just remember that. And, if you decide that you need a few extra days off at some point, you just let us know and we'll make the arrangements and notify your father of the situation."

"Thank you, Ms. Victoria. I will remember that. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"I'm sure you will, dear. You are such a wonderful girl. I enjoy having you here just as much as my children do. Just don't ever feel like you can't talk to me about anything that happens or that you think about. Will you promise me that?"

"I will. That will be an easy promise to keep. I always feel comfortable talking to you about anything that comes up."

"I'm glad. Now, eat up. Wouldn't want you to get hungry before lunchtime." Victoria smiled at Karen.

Karen smiled and nodded before beginning to eat from the plate in front of her. She knew that it would be a long day and she would be more than grateful to be able to crawl into her bed at the school that night for a deep sleep.

Once Karen was back on the wagon and Heath was ready to head out, everyone gathered on the front porch to wish her a good week at school. Audra and Victoria stood on the porch waving as Heath started the horses out on the trail to head back to the school. Karen waved back until the porch was out of sight and then she turned back in her seat and sighed.

"Are you alright, Karen honey?"

"I just don't want to go back. I enjoy being around your family so much and I hate leaving them. Your mother is so sweet. Audra is wonderful to me and your brothers treat me like I'm already a member of the family. I hate leaving there as much as I hate leaving my own family behind. I miss Pa, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe." Karen sounded like she was almost in tears.

"Karen, are you sure that you're okay? I don't like it when I hear tears in your voice. It bothers me more than I care to admit."

Karen sniffled. "I'm sure, Heath. Thank you for worrying about me. I guess I'm just missing my family and now I have to be separated from my other family for the week and I think I'm just feeling sorry for myself right now."

"Just remember what Mother said. If you need a few extra days away from school at any point, send word and we'll make all the arrangements and let your father know what's going on. Everything will be fine." He reached out with one hand and held hers for a few moments.

"Can you really control the team with just one hand?"

"When the trail is this smooth and well-worn, it's not usually a problem. But give me one that's not as familiar as this one and two hands become very definitely necessary." He turned to smile at her for just a moment. He turned back to pay attention to the trail they were on and just continued the ride. But for one instant, as he held her hand, Karen felt like the world was at her feet and she could have anything she wanted.

Heath had felt the connection between them as soon as he had taken her hand. To him, it just felt right to hold her hand in his. He found himself wanting more of that. But he also knew that he had to keep his mind on the trail and keeping the team on it. He couldn't be late returning to the house because he knew his mother would send Nick and Jarrod out to search for him. And he just couldn't worry her like that.

About an hour later, the couple pulled up in front of the school and Heath jumped down to come around to help Karen down from the wagon. She gladly accepted his help with an ulterior motive. She like the feeling of his hands on her waist as he lifted her down. Not that she would ever admit that to anyone, not even his mother or sister.

Once Karen was solidly on the ground, Heath was loathe to take his hands from her. He did so only because he knew that some of the girls from the school were watching and it wouldn't do for them to think ill of Karen. He couldn't dishonor her that way, not if he really cared for her.

He smiled at her, just feeling that, one day, he wouldn't have to let go of her as quickly as he currently did. He would be her husband one day and then it would be appropriate to hold on to her every chance he got.

He carried her bag inside and turned just inside the door. "How about I pick you up this Friday? It'll give you more time with Mother and Audra?"

"I'd like that, Heath. Thank you. What time should I expect you?"

"What time is dinner here?"

"Usually about 5 pm. We're usually finished about 5:30 most nights. Then, we study before lights out."

"I'll be here at about 3:30 pm. That way, we can be home before dinner. Would that be alright with you?"

Karen nodded with a bashful smile. "I'll see you then."

Heath smiled and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I'll see you Friday." He climbed back up on the wagon and turned the team around, heading back to the Barkley spread.

Karen just stood there, watching him go until he was out of sight. Then, she picked up her bag and took it inside and up to her room. Once there, she looked out the window in the direction of the Barkley ranch and sighed.

It would be good to return to her second home on Friday.


	5. Chapter 5

Monday morning, Karen woke up and climbed out of bed, spreading up the covers as soon as she stepped onto the floor fully. Then, she pulled on her clothes for the day and walked downstairs to the dining room.

She was ready to start her day. She had done everything she was supposed to the day before and was more than ready for her class day to start. The way she thought about it, the sooner the day started, the sooner the week would be over and she would be back with the Barkley family where she belonged. At least if she wasn't going to be at home with her family.

Her classes went by quickly. And she finished the day feeling like she had actually gotten something accomplished.

Of course, her last class of the day had seen her dealing with a girl who had not come to the school by choice. Her parents had forced her to come to the school because she wasn't trying to learn the proper skills for a woman. She constantly harassed the other girls at school because she didn't want to be there and she thought that if she harassed enough people they would throw her out. That's what had happened at the other schools she had gone to.

"So, Karen, who was the handsome young gentleman that escorted you back to the school yesterday all alone?" she asked with a sneer on her face. "And how long was the ride?"

"Lydia, leave her alone. That is none of your business."

"It's okay, Kathleen. I wasn't going to answer her questions because, no matter what I say, she's going to make up what she really wants to hear. She wants to hear some bit of juicy gossip and be able to smear my name all over the school. That's all she wants. That or she wants to harass me into starting a fight and then we both get thrown out. I refuse to play that game. That is something my family would be terribly upset over. Me allowing my temper to get the best of me and starting a fight. Embarrassing my family like that." She shook her head. "I just couldn't do it. That's not who I am."

"You just think that you're so much better than me, don't you, Karen Cartwright?"

"I don't believe that I'm better than anyone, Lydia. I just refuse to play the little mind games that you seem to enjoy so much. You don't know how to deal with such a thing. Most people give in to your mind games. That's how you win them."

Lydia stormed over to Karen's desk where she sat simply waiting for the class to start. "You better answer my question."

"Why? My answer doesn't matter. Even if I told you that that young man was my fiance, you would turn the answer into something evil and vile just to try to ruin me at this school."

"Are you engaged to Heath Barkley, Karen?" asked one of the other girls.

"Our families are discussing it. And I stay with his family on the weekends. His mother is so wonderful to me. His brothers and sister all think of me as part of the family. I enjoy it quite thoroughly. They always make me feel so welcome."

"Wow! So many women would love to catch Heath Barkley's eye. How did you do it?"

"It wasn't intentional. We started getting to know each other when his family came to visit mine while I was recovering from a second kidnapping. Heath helped me to regain my self-confidence and his mother reminded me just how strong I was and who my family was. They would be there for me no matter what was going on in my life. They would support me when I needed them." Karen blinked fiercely. She was done crying over that memory. She had survived the first and second kidnappings and still moved on with her life. She had a family that was behind her when she needed them and in front of her when she needed protection. She had a second family that felt the same way.

Lydia saw the tears building and decided to push a little harder. "So, when did you get your first kiss from him?"

"He has only ever kissed my forehead," Karen stated, thinking back to the day Heath had given her her first real kiss that wasn't from family. Lydia didn't need to know about that.

"Why the tears, Karen? Is there something you're not telling us?"

"Have you ever been kidnapped and threatened with rape, Lydia? Have you ever been blindfolded and tied to a bed as two men talked about what they planned to do with you as they ran a hand up your leg under your skirt?" The tears started falling and Karen couldn't help it. She pulled out the handkerchief that Heath had given her and held it against her face.

Just then, Jocelyn Anderton walked into the room. "What is going on here?"

"I don't know, Mrs. Anderton. Karen just burst into tears and wouldn't tell anyone why." The look of innocence on Lydia's face irritated everyone else in the classroom.

"Mrs. Anderton, Lydia was tormenting Karen about Heath bringing her back to school alone. Implying that Karen has been less than ladylike with Heath. His family raised him better than that. We all know that. He would never do anything to compromise Karen's honor. Or any other girl's honor for that matter."

"I know that, Kristin. Probably better than most would. I am a close friend of their family." Mrs. Anderton walked over to Karen. "Karen, are you alright? Do I need to have the Barkley's come and collect you for a few days?"

Karen wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She shook her head. "I'll be fine. Lydia could never understand what I've been through. She's always been so well protected by her family. She doesn't know what it's like to be hated just because of who your family is."

"If you change your mind, let me know. I'll send one of the hands to the Barkley ranch to have them come and get you. Agreed?"

Karen nodded. "Agreed. Thank you, Mrs. Anderton. I appreciate that." Karen was touched that Mrs. Anderton would make such an offer. It meant a lot to her.

"Now, everyone sit down. Mrs. Carlisle will be here in just a moment to conduct your class. Lydia, you will stop being so hateful to anyone and everyone who doesn't follow you the way you think they should. Otherwise, you will be sent home in disgrace. No other school will take you once I finish with you. You will be left uneducated and ignorant."

"Mrs. Anderton, you can't send me home. My family has sent me to several different schools and I always get kicked out of them. How am I supposed to become educated if all of you keep kicking me out?"

"Maybe you should think about that the next time you think to torment someone about things you know nothing about. After all, even women need a certain degree of education."

Caroline Carlisle walked into the classroom. "Mrs. Anderton, what seems to be going on here? I was not expecting you here."

"I would not have been here if someone had not come and told me that Lydia was tormenting poor Karen here. I walked in to find that Karen was in tears and Lydia had a smug look on her face until I spoke. Then, she turned on a look of total innocence. Thankfully, the young woman who had come and got me had told me some of the things that Lydia had already said to Karen. I understood her tears. Lydia is on probation. One more incident like this and she will be sent home and any school that contacts me to find out what kind of a student she is will be told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

"Lydia, you will stay here after class and we will discuss your complete lack of compassion for others."

"Mrs. Carlisle, I have things to do after class."

"That is not my problem. I will keep you after class and we will have this discussion. Unless you would like to be removed from any extra activities for the remainder of your time in this school."

"Yes, ma'am." Lydia hung her head as she took her seat. She shot several cold looks at Karen during the class. Karen was worried that Lydia was going to blame her for missing her activities after class and try to get even for it.

Caroline Carlisle knew exactly what kind of things Lydia wanted to do after class. She knew that one of the hands on the property was courting her and had plans to marry her as soon as possible. What he didn't know is that she had vowed not to marry anyone who had less money than her family did.

Lydia had set her cap for Heath Barkley and was jealous that he had never given her a second look but had apparently fallen for Karen. Caroline felt that Karen and Heath would make a very good-looking couple. She also thought that Lydia was leading this other young man on in an effort to make Heath jealous. It wouldn't work. Caroline knew that. Heath would never be attracted to a shallow girl like Lydia.

"Alright, girls. Let's open our textbooks and begin today's lesson."

At the end of the class, Caroline excused the rest of the class but reminded Lydia that she was to stay after class. Karen left the class quickly and went to the stables to do a bit of riding around the school grounds before supper. It was a habit she'd gotten into while she was home with her own family and she'd gotten permission from Mrs. Anderton to continue her habit while here. So long as she didn't allow it to interfere with her studies and she didn't leave it to someone else to take care of the horse after the ride.

Karen had quickly agreed to Mrs. Anderton's conditions. She had no problem with taking care of the horse after her ride and she actually enjoyed doing it. It gave her a little private time to think. To think about things that she needed to think about.

It gave her time to think about what things would be like when she and Heath got married. She knew that eventually he would ask her and then they would be able to start planning the wedding. After all, she could tell that Audra was already starting to plan things for the wedding.

Karen quickly saddled her chosen horse for the day and mounted up. She rode out of the stables and took a nice leisurely walk with her horse around the main school house and then made a larger circle to include the barn and the corral.

She rode out close to a cliff that was on the property. Dismounting she looked out over the valley below and thought about Heath. He was such a gentleman. She found herself constantly thinking about him and wishing she could marry him right now instead of waiting until after her school years.

Karen's daydream was interrupted quite rudely by the sound of a snake nearby. Apparently, she had disturbed the snake and it was coiled as if to strike. Remembering what she'd always been told, she kept her eyes on the snake and slowly backed away toward her horse.

When she reached her horse, she spun and mounted quickly, turning the horse back toward the stable and away from the snake.

Returning to the stable, Karen quickly but thoroughly took care of the horse and went into the house. She was still shaking more than a little bit. The snake had truly frightened her. Had she been bitten that far out, she wasn't sure that she would have been able to make it back before the venom took her.

Walking into the house, Karen bumped into Mrs. Anderton who immediately noticed the pallor of her face and the way her hands were shaking.

"Karen? Are you okay? What happened, dear?"

"There was a snake out by the cliff near the valley. It spooked me. I realized that if I had gotten bitten out there, I don't think I would have been able to make it back before the venom took me."

Mrs. Anderton wrapped Karen in her arms and pulled her into a warm and caring hug. Karen broke down in the woman's arms, crying out the nerves that had wracked her body since the moment she had first heard the snake out by that cliff.

"I think we need to send you back to the Barkley's." Karen looked up, worried that she would be sent away from the school. Jocelyn seemed to understand the look and comforted Karen. "At least for the rest of the week. Would that be something you would consider?" Karen looked up at the woman in front of her and nodded weakly. "I'll send someone over there in the morning to have them come pick you up. Okay?"

"Okay."

"And you don't have to attend any classes tomorrow before they pick you up. In fact, I would prefer it if you just went from breakfast to the nurse's office and waited there. About lunch time, we'll move you out to the porch to wait for them."

Karen nodded. "I shouldn't be this shaken. I'm used to snakes. There have always been snakes around the Ponderosa. That's where I learned to deal with them. But something about this one just spooked me to no end."

Jocelyn nodded. "I think I can understand. But we'll let you have the rest of the week to relax for a bit and then you can come back and resume your classes."

"There won't be a problem, will there?"

Jocelyn shook her head. "I doubt it. After all, you're doing quite well in all your classes and keeping up with everything with no problems so far, even though you've only been here a week. But I don't see you having any problems with catching back up after a week away."

Karen nodded. "Is there anything I can do to help with dinner?"

Jocelyn nodded with a smile. "Come along into the kitchen. I think we can find you something to do. It might help you calm down."

* * *

The next morning, true to her word, Jocelyn sent one of the hands to the Barkley ranch with a note explaining what had happened and what Jocelyn was doing for it.

Victoria had received the note and read it quickly. She immediately called for Heath.

"Heath, hitch up the carriage. You'll be taking Audra and I to the school. Karen needs some time. I'll let her explain why once we get her back here. Mrs. Anderton sent a note just this morning. She's allowing Karen to come home for the rest of the week. She'll go back to school on Monday."

Heath knew better than to question his mother right then. She had that look on her face that told anyone who knew her that she was going to protect someone she considered family and anyone who stood in her way would regret doing so. He went straight out to the barn and started on the task he'd been set.

It didn't take him long. He was determined to find out what had happened to Karen that Mrs. Anderton would send her back to the ranch for the week. Something had to have happened or Karen wouldn't be coming back so quickly.

Within an hour and a half, the carriage was ready to go and Audra and Victoria climbed in for the trip to the school. They wanted to get to Karen quickly. With what Mrs. Anderton had written to Victoria, she knew that Karen's state of mind would be very fragile right then. The wrong person saying the wrong thing could possibly send her into a complete and total meltdown. Thankfully, they had decided to bring Heath along in case they needed him.

Of course, knowing that something had happened to Karen, Jarrod and Nick had asked permission to ride along. Just in case extra help was needed, as Jarrod had put it. Nick had agreed with his brother.

Victoria had approved. She was worried that seeing Karen's state of mind would make Heath mad enough to lash out at anyone nearby. Jarrod and Nick might have to restrain their brother in order to make him calm down.

"We're ready, Heath," Victoria said as she settled into her seat. They even had an extra blanket along in case it was needed. She hoped it wouldn't be but she had decided to be prepared.

Pulling up in front of the school, Heath helped his mother and sister climb down from the carriage and step up on the porch. He could see Karen sitting there and his first thought was to go to her and wrap her in his arms. But he stayed back, allowing his mother and sister to comfort her first. He would get his chance when they got back to the ranch.

He watched as Victoria and Audra led her back to the carriage. "May I help you up, Karen?"

She nodded to him. He lifted her up to the seat and she settled down in the middle of the seat. Once Victoria and Audra had taken their places on the carriage seats, Heath climbed up to the front. He started the team in motion and they headed back to the ranch.

Karen sat quietly in the middle of the seat between Victoria and Audra. She didn't know what to say. Heath hadn't even acknowledged her until he asked if he could help her up into the carriage. Was he upset that she was coming back to the house? That she was missing school for a week?

She just didn't know. And she wasn't sure she wanted to know if she was being honest with herself. She looked at Victoria as the older lady and her daughter wrapped the younger woman in the extra blanket they had brought along. She sunk into the blanket and sat back finding herself drifting towards sleep.

By the time they arrived back at the ranch, Karen was sound asleep between Audra and Victoria. Audra climbed out of the carriage first and then Nick stepped up so that his mother could get down without dropping Karen on the seat. Once Victoria had left the carriage, Heath stepped closer so that he could take Karen and carry her up to her room.

Heath carefully cradled Karen close to him and stepped back from the carriage. Jarrod grabbed Karen's bag and Nick stepped up to take care of the horses. "Take her inside quickly, Heath. She'll be more comfortable in her own bed."

"Yes, Mother."

As he walked up the steps to the porch, he turned back. "I will stay beside her in case she needs me. I would prefer we not leave her alone if possible."

"I agree, Heath. You may stay with her for now." Heath nodded and walked into the house without any further delays.

Walking into Karen's room, he noticed that Silas had obviously been in and had already turned down the covers so that she could be put straight into bed. He hoped that at some point she would explain what had happened so that he could help her recover.

But some small part of him worried that she may never fully recover from whatever it was that was bothering her right now. And he worried that he might not be able to help her as much as he wanted to.

He moved a chair closer to her bed after tucking her in, sat down and pulled off his boots, setting them neatly under her bed, before placing his feet on the bed and settling back in the chair to relax and maybe get a little sleep himself before she woke up and told him what was going on.


	6. Chapter 6

Karen felt warm and cozy. She was in a bed. A warm comfortable bed with wonderfully soft and fluffy blankets.

Rolling to her right side, she pulled the blankets up closer around her neck. She opened her eyes and saw Heath sitting there next to her. _'He sat with me? I thought he was angry with me. He didn't say anything until he went to help me into the carriage.'_

"Hello, Karen." His voice was the most welcome sound she'd heard in a long time. "I wasn't about to leave you alone when we got the note this morning that said we needed to come and collect you because of some reason that Mother wouldn't share with me. But to see how you looked sitting on the porch at the school, I couldn't just put you in bed and walk away." He watched as she sat up on the bed. "Would you tell me what happened? I want to understand."

She looked down at her hands folded demurely in her lap. "One of the girls at school was teasing me in the last class of the day. She doesn't like being away from her family and at school. She doesn't believe that a woman needs education. But she plays otherwise quite well. She was implying that you – you." She bowed her head and her shoulders started shaking. Heath moved to sit on the edge of the bed and took her gently in his arms.

"Ssshhhh. It's okay. Whatever she said, it wasn't the truth. We know the truth and that's what matters. Was she trying to say that I had been less than a gentleman with you?"

Karen nodded. She still hated the fact that anyone thought that Heath could be less than a gentleman with a lady. He'd never been anything else with her. Always helping her and protecting her. Look at how he'd been when they had found Annabelle's body in the bushes. He'd kept her close until they got home. And when he'd found her out by her parents' graves with her Pa's gun? He stayed beside her until she woke up and was able to do for herself.

"Did something else happen? I don't think that would be enough to upset you to the point of needing to be away from school for a few days."

Karen sat up and dried her eyes. "After class, the teacher kept her after and I decided I needed to go for a ride around the property. Mrs. Anderton had approved it as long as I took care of the horse I took out and didn't leave it for anyone else to do. I had no problem with that. I went riding. I was out by a cliff that overlooked a valley at the southern end of the property. I stood there for a bit just looking out over the valley and thinking about lots of different things. Suddenly, I heard a snake. Apparently, I had disturbed it and it was getting ready to strike. I backed away from it, watching it the whole time. Once I got back to my horse, I mounted quickly and rode away. As I rode back to the school, it struck me that if that snake had bit me while I was that far out, I would most likely never make it back to the school. Even if I could keep myself calm on the ride back. I would never see you or your wonderful family again. I felt as lost at that moment as I had the night I left Pa's house with his gun in my bag." She looked away from Heath for a moment. "I felt dirty and tainted all over again."

"Karen. Karen, look at me. Please." When she brought her eyes back to him, he touched her cheek. "You are not dirty. You are not tainted. I don't care what anyone says. You are pure and innocent. You are the epitome of everything that any decent man would want in a woman."

He pulled out another kerchief and used it to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I don't want any woman but you for my own, Karen. Just you."

"Thank you, Heath. Thank you so much." She leaned into his embrace once more. She hugged him just as tight as he hugged her. "That puts my mind at ease. Thank you."

"I'm here to help, Karen. I just want you to be happy. Happy in whatever you choose to do."

"I'm happy just being here with you and your family. It makes me feel that I have more than one place that I belong."

"You do belong here. Just as much as you do at the Ponderosa. My mother would be happy to tell you the same thing. As would my brothers and sister, I'm sure."

"Was Ms. Victoria upset to receive the note?"

"I think Mother was more concerned that upset. She was worried about you. She told me to hitch up the carriage right away. She said that I was taking both her and Audra to the school to collect you. We were told that you needed some time and that she would let you explain when we got you back here. You wouldn't be returning to school until Monday."

"I'm glad you all understand that sometimes I just need some time. I can't always get that at school."

"Mother told you already that anytime you need the extra time all you have to do is say so and we'll make the arrangements. She wasn't joking about that, Karen. She probably understands better than almost anyone gives her credit for."

"I don't like that you all had to come pick me up like that. And I would have understood had your mother simply sent you to get me. Although, it probably made more of an impression on Lydia that all of you came to get me."

"Lydia? Is that the girl that was saying that you were ever less than ladylike with me?"

Karen nodded. "I would hope that seeing how careful all of you were would send her a message to stop being so ugly." Karen looked up at Heath. "I think she wants you to court her. She thinks she is a prize to catch. So far, she's been just flirting with the hands at the school. But I just know that she wants you. She's talked about it before. Some of the other girls have heard her and just last week I heard her say that one day she'd be part of your family."

"She'll never take me from you, Karen. I don't want someone like that. I want you. You are the only one I need."

"Are you sure, Heath? I mean, are you really sure that I'm what you want?"

"Karen, I don't know how to make you see it. But somehow, I will show you that you are all I want." Heath pulled her back into his embrace and just held her close and quiet for a few moments.

A knock on the door pulled the two apart. "Yes?" called Karen.

Audra opened the door. "Is everything okay in here?"

Karen nodded. "I think so."

Audra walked in a little further. "Are you feeling okay, Karen? Is there anything I can get you?"

"Would you make sure that everyone is together? I only want to explain this one time. Then, I can start to put this whole awful thing behind me."

"I'll take care of that. Mother sent me to tell you that lunch will be ready in just a few minutes and she hoped that you would be up to sitting down with us for it."

"I'll be there, Audra. Thank you." Audra smiled and left the room without another word.

"Let's put your shoes on and get you ready to go down for lunch." Heath helped her to sit up and uncover her legs. Then, he bent over and slipped her shoes back on to her feet and put his own boots back on. He held out a hand and allowed her to stand up. She picked up the shawl on the dresser by the door on the way out and draped it around her shoulders as they headed down to the dining room.**

Once lunch was finished, Victoria turned to Karen. "Would you like to explain to everyone what caused you to need the extra time away from school?"

Karen nodded, looking almost ashamed. "I'm afraid it was primarily because I allowed someone to get to me. She was saying that I had most likely been less than ladylike with Heath. The girl that said it doesn't like being at school but she makes believe that she does for the sake of the staff. Not that I think any of them buy into it. She torments anyone that she sees as beneath her. She wants Heath to court her and is trying to use one of the hands at the school to make him jealous. When she started tormenting me yesterday, I asked her if she had any experience with rape. If she'd ever been through what I had. Being kidnapped twice in six months and tied to a bed while two men that you couldn't see felt your legs under your skirt and talked as if they would actually rape you. Being afraid for days that you would never see your family again. Finding yourself praying that you would die before they could destroy you like that." Karen stopped and took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears at bay. She wasn't sure that she would be able to for long and so was trying hard to keep it going in order to hurry through some of this without completely breaking down.

"Karen, you don't have to be so strong in front of us," Victoria said gently, putting one hand over the younger woman's. "We know your story. We understand you. If you start to cry, there is no shame in that."

"I just feel like I have to be strong. It's nothing anyone has said or done. It's just a feeling I have. I feel that to let this get to me allows them to win and I can't let that happen." She took another deep breath. "Besides, if I start crying now, I'll never get this out and then I can never start putting it behind me. Although I'm afraid that that particular effort is going to take a lot longer than I might like."

Victoria nodded. "It will. And there will be times when it feels like you'll never get there. That's when you need to lean on those of us who will be there for you during those times that you feel lost, lonely, confused. And it will happen, dear. There is no doubt about that. But we will be there for you. As will your father and brothers. Don't ever forget that. You have lots of people to help you through everything. And we don't mind if you lean on us."

"Of course not, Karen," Audra rushed in. She felt for the young woman who had so recently become such a large part of their lives. She understood feeling vulnerable. Even knowing that her family had her back no matter what, Audra still had her moments when she felt extremely vulnerable and she knew that Karen had even more reasons to feel that way. She couldn't even imagine being in Karen's position and having been through what she had. She didn't know if she would handle it half as well as Karen had.

Victoria had the same basic thoughts as her daughter did. She wasn't exactly sure that she could be as strong as Karen if she had had as much thrown at her in such a short amount of time. But she knew that, because Karen had been raised as a strong young woman, she would not allow this to remain a weakness but turn it into a strength that would give her enough strength to make it through anything that life could dish out. She was certain beyond any shade of doubt that once Karen got past this she would be a force to be reckoned with.

"Suffice to say, this girl decided she had to torment me yesterday and, while I did shed some tears in the classroom, my other classmates decided they weren't going to let her get away with it and went to get Mrs. Anderton. She took Lydia to task and, when Mrs. Carlisle came in, she made the decision to keep Lydia after class to have a discussion about the proper way to treat your classmates. I went riding and found myself overlooking a valley at the south end of the school's property. Suddenly, I heard a snake. All I could think of was that I had disturbed him. It sounded like it was getting ready to strike. Well, I remembered what Pa and the boys had always told me. I backed away slowly looking at the spot where I thought the noise was coming from so that I could see if it was moving closer to me or not. When I got to my horse, I mounted up and turned him back toward the school. By the time I returned to the school, I had calmed down enough to realize that if I had been bitten by the snake, with as far out from the school as I was, I most likely would not have made it back to the school alive. It was a sobering thought and when I went inside to go to my room and clean up for dinner, I met with Mrs. Anderton. She asked me about what had happened. I explained. Then she told me that she thought I needed to come back here. I thought she was talking about sending me away permanently. But she reassured me that she just thought I could use a bit of a break after that type of scare. So I asked if I could help with dinner. She let me come into the kitchen and help, thinking that it would allow me some time to calm down." Karen sniffled a bit. "Mrs. Anderton didn't even want me attending classes while I waited for you to come and collect me. She sent me to the nurse's office after breakfast and told me to wait there."

"I'm glad Mrs. Anderton is so understanding," Audra said. She was almost as worried about Karen's state of mind as her mother was.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say that I think Karen made an excellent choice with Mrs. Anderton's school. The woman is obviously well versed in assisting young women with their education as well as their life choices." Jarrod's voice rang true for everyone at the table. "She's taking good care of our newest family member and I applaud her for that."

"Here! Here!" Nick chimed in. "Our newest little sister has been blooming just in the short time she's been there and I see big things in store for her in the future." He lifted his glass and everyone else around the table did the same. Karen lifted hers after a moment and smiled at those around her. They had truly become family to her.


	7. Chapter 7

The first day or two of the week passed quickly. Karen tried to stay busy with all kinds of simple tasks around the house that Victoria allowed her to do when she asked for something to do to keep busy after her homework was done.

"Well, we do have a few horses that need some exercise since we got the new ones in. And we don't always have time to take them out for rides while working with the newer ones. Why don't you take them out and ride them for us?" Victoria said when she asked if there was anything she could do around the house to help out while she was out of school. "Audra can show you which ones need the exercise this afternoon. You can figure out a schedule for them and, even when you go back to school, we can keep the schedule for them on your behalf."

"Thank you, Ms. Victoria." Karen hugged Victoria in gratitude. She didn't want to feel like she needed to be coddled. Her pa and brothers had never coddled her and she thought she had come out all the better for it.

"You're welcome, dear girl. I'm glad I could find something for you to do. But I don't want you ignoring your studies to do this. You need to spend some time on those as well. You don't want to fall behind in your classes."

"Of course not. I'll use the warmer afternoons to study while the mornings will be for the horses. It'll help me to make sure that I'm awake and ready for the day. Then, when I sit down to study in the afternoon, I'll feel like I've already accomplished something and I'll want to keep going. It'll make it easier for me to get started on my studying."

"That sounds like a plan," Nick said. "A plan that is simple is the easiest to carry out."

"Thank you, Nick. I appreciate that."

"If you like, Karen, Heath and I can help you with your studies if you need it," Audra offered.

"Thank you, Audra. I will ask if I need the help.

Audra smiled at the young woman. She could see Karen getting quite far in life with her attitude.

That afternoon, Audra showed Karen which of the horses would need exercising. There were only three of them and Karen quickly came up with a rotation for exercise that would have a different one going first each day. That way they would have some variety and so would she.

That very afternoon, Karen took to each of the three horses and got to know them. She made sure they knew her scent and her voice. That way, when she started riding the next morning, they would know that she was a friend. Audra watched her work with the horses and was very impressed. She was very talented with the animals, had a way with them even.

Audra couldn't wait to tell her mother how good Karen was with the three older horses in the stable. She knew that one of them, Flamestar, could be more than a little spirited at times but she was certain that Karen could control him. She just seemed to have a natural knack for taking care of horses. Almost as if she spoke their language.

As Audra watched Karen, so did Heath. He didn't seem to be watching her but Audra knew that he was. He was very careful with her. She hoped that one day she would find a man who would treat her like Heath treated Karen.

The following morning, right after breakfast, Karen headed out to the barn to start exercising the horses. She worked the first two with no problems. Then, she moved to saddle Flamestar. He was a little skittish when she first went to put the saddle on his back. He even reared a little.

"Now, Flamestar, we went over all of this yesterday. We talked about this and you agreed to behave yourself for me. Are you going back on that now?" The horse shook his head and Karen nodded. "Good. Because I would hate to have to go into the house and tell Ms. Victoria that you won't behave yourself. You know how she feels about things like that."

The horse nodded and Karen nodded in return before putting the saddle blanket and the saddle on the majestic horse. Then she led him out of his stall and over to a clear space just outside the stable door.

Stepping into one stirrup, she swung into the saddle and settled in. "Now, Flamestar, let's see just what you can do. I can tell you'll need a bit more exercise than the other two. I think I'll let you run for a bit."

She nudged him just a bit. The horse reared up and bolted, Karen clinging to his saddle and bridle with both hands. She wrapped the reins around one hand and both hands were clutching the saddle horn so as not to lose her seat on the horse.

She had screamed when Flamestar reared. She hadn't seen that Heath, Nick and Jarrod had run out onto the porch and had seen the horse run off with her clinging tightly to the saddle.

All three men ran for the stable and saddled up their own horses. Audra had wandered in as they were preparing to follow after Karen. "Audra, go tell Mother that we're going after Flamestar and Karen. He reared and bolted. We could only see that she was holding on to the saddle with both hands."

Audra gasped and looked around the stable. "All three of you are going?"

"We are," Jarrod replied. He turned to his sister to see the fear on her face. "Audra, don't worry. We'll bring her back and she'll be just fine. You'll see." He touched Audra's cheek to comfort her. "Now, please go tell Mother what happened. We're heading out as soon as we're ready."

Audra spun and ran for the house, holding her skirts up so that she could move faster. She burst into the house just as the boys rode out at a full gallop after Karen. "Mother?" she called.

Hearing the fear in her daughter's voice, Victoria stepped out of her office to find Audra standing in the middle of the living room nearly in tears. "Audra, what is it?"

"Karen was exercising the horses just as she told you she would. She'd already worked with Talisin and Cordin. She was prepping Flamestar to go. According to the boys, he reared and bolted. Karen was holding on as tight as she could from what Jarrod told me. They just left to go after her and Flamestar. Mother, do you think she'll be okay?"

"I'm certain she will, dear. Your brothers will find her and bring her and Flamestar back. You'll see." Victoria could only hope that she was right and her sons would do her proud in bringing the young woman and the horse back where they belonged, both safe and sound.

Jarrod, Heath and Nick were riding hard to try to catch up to Karen. Flamestar was a fast horse, all three boys knew this. He also had some serious stamina. It wouldn't be easy to get him to settle down once they did catch up to them.

All three men were trying hard to figure out what may have spooked the horse to rear like that. Flamestar was normally spirited, yes. But he didn't normally do things like this. Something had to have happened to cause him to rear like that.

Heath was watching closely to make sure that, if Karen had fallen off at some point in Flamestar's panic, they didn't run her down. He didn't want to see her hurt.

There she was! They had found her! Flamestar was still moving, just not as quickly.

Jarrod spurred his horse just a little bit harder and moved out in front of the other two. He was amazed that Karen was still astride the horse after the way he'd taken off so wildly.

But she was slumped in the saddle as if defeated. Jarrod knew that he and his brothers needed to get her back to the house and quickly. Then, they could evaluate her and see if she was hurt or not.

Jarrod's horse hadn't even come to a full stop before he was swinging his leg off the horse and stepping down to the ground. He strode over to Flamestar and stroked his head.

Then, he stepped back toward Karen. "Karen? Karen, are you alright?"

"I can't get my hand out of the reins. I wrapped them around my hand to try to hold on better and now I can't get it out. It hurts, Jarrod. It really hurts." He saw the tears splashing down over her hand.

Jarrod turned to see Heath riding up on Karen's other side. "Here's what we're going to do, Karen. Heath's on your other side. I'm going to step to his other side and let Nick up here so that he will be at an angle to see what's going on. He'll help get your hand untangled. When he does, I want you to slide over in front of Heath. He will take you home while Nick and I try to figure out what caused Flamestar to rear like that. Then, we'll bring him home."

"Do you think he'll be okay?" she asked.

"I think so. Now, I'm going around to Heath's other side now. That's just in case you slip coming over to Heath."

Jarrod did exactly what he had described to the young woman. It didn't take long for Nick to be able to untangle Karen's hand from the reins. It seemed to have been twisted and it was swelling. Once that was done, Heath wrapped an arm around Karen's shoulders and pulled her over to his horse to sit in front of him. She curled into him, wrapping her left arm around his back to anchor herself.

"Heath, take her back to the house. Nick and I will take his saddle off and see if we can figure out what made him rear like that. It shouldn't take long and then we'll bring him back to the house and take care of him." Heath nodded and turned his horse around, heading back to the main house. He held on to Karen who was also holding on to him. Her right hand was curled up in front of her as if she were protecting it. Her left was wrapped around behind him and fisted in his shirt, clinging to him for dear life.

Once Jarrod and Nick were certain that Heath was on his way home with Karen, they moved swiftly to remove Flamestar's saddle. When they removed the blanket underneath, they found the problem. A row of small sandburs was lined across the blanket. It seemed there were a few of them. Karen's slight weight coming down across the saddle would have been enough to make the horse rear the way he had.

"Someone sabotaged this blanket. They made sure that Karen would cause him to rear. But I don't think they figured on her being the horsewoman that she is." Jarrod shook his head. Running his hand over the horse's back, flanks and withers on one side as Nick did the same on the other, the two men made certain that there were no burs left in his coat.

They careful placed the saddle back on the horse without the blanket. The blanket was rolled and tied into the saddle so that it could be shown to the sheriff. Maybe they could discover who had sabotaged the blanket in order to hurt Karen like that.

Whoever it was would learn that no one messes with the Barkley family and gets away with it.


	8. Chapter 8

Heath came galloping into the front yard of the Barkley home with Karen clutched firmly in his grip. Two of the ranch hands came forward. One took the reins from Heath while the other helped him with Karen. "Karen, honey, you need to let go of me for just a minute. Just long enough so that both of us can get down off the horse. Then, you will be in my arms again and we'll get you up to your room where you can lay down and relax. Okay?"

She nodded and slowly released his shirt from her grip. It took her a few minutes to let go due to the strength with which she had gripped it in the first place. But she did it. "One of the ranch hands is right here and he's going to help you down. Then, you step away and I'll get down. Okay?"

She nodded again and slid down to the waiting hands below her. Once she was stable on her feet, she stepped away and turned to look at Heath. He jumped down from the horse and spoke softly to the ranch hands nearby.

"No problem, Heath. We'll take good care of your horse for you. You just go ahead and take care of Miss Karen. Your mother and sister having been waiting most anxiously for her return to the house."

"Thanks, Charlie. I appreciate that." He shook hands with the man and walked over to Karen. He held out a hand and her trembling one accepted the gesture. He pulled her close and wrapped one arm around her shoulder before turning her toward the house and taking her inside.

Victoria and Audra had been waiting patiently in the living room. When they saw Heath and Karen walk in, both women got up and rushed over. "Karen, dear, are you alright?"

"I hurt my wrist, Ms. Victoria. I wrapped the reins around it to try to hold on better and it tangled, twisting my wrist. It really hurts."

Victoria looked closely at the hand that was draped across Heath's hand as if she couldn't hold it up on her own. It did look painfully swollen and sore. "Don't worry, dear. We'll get the doctor to come out and take a look at it for you, shall we? He'll fix you up right as rain in no time." She looked at her son.

"Nick and Jarrod were checking Flamestar to see if they could find out what made him rear and bolt like he did. They said that they would bring him back after that. It may be awhile, Mother. We rode hard and fast to catch them."

"I understand, Heath. Why don't you walk Karen to her room? Audra, you can go with them to help her change back into her nightgown for now. I seriously doubt that she can do it on her own right now. And I don't think she'll be much in the mood to do much of anything for a while. That wrist is going to take time to heal."

"Yes, Mother." Audra was quick to submit to her mother's wishes. She knew her mother was most likely right and Karen would need help to get back into her nightgown. She could tell Karen was exhausted. A ride like that would definitely do that to a person. "Come on, Karen. Heath and I will help you up to your room and get you changed for going back to bed. I'm sure that you would appreciate a nap while we send someone for the doctor."

Karen just nodded and leaned into Heath's arm around her as they walked toward the stairs to go up to the second floor so she could lay down. When she stumbled on the third step, Heath didn't say a word. He simply picked her up and carried her up the stairs and down to her room.

Laying her on her bed, he kissed her forehead. "Rest now, Karen. Audra's here and she'll give you all the help you need to change into your nightgown."

"Thank you, Heath. You're always so good to me." Karen yawned as she finished her statement and rolled over as if to go to sleep without changing into her nightgown.

"Karen, let's get you changed and then you can sleep. I promise," Audra said firmly, touching the young woman's right shoulder.

The gasp that left Karen at the pain flaring through her right shoulder drew both Audra's and Heath's attention. "Karen, did you hurt your shoulder as well?"

"I think so. I hadn't noticed it until Audra touched that shoulder. But it does hurt quite a bit. I think before this, I was just more focused on the wrist."

"I can understand that. Your shoulder probably hasn't moved nearly as much as the wrist has tried to. And when you rolled over, you went to your left side. You wouldn't have noticed it then."

Heath looked down at Karen. "Would you like some help sitting up so that you can change?"

She nodded. Heath sat down on the bed next to her and gently wrapped one arm around her from the left side and pulled her to an upright position. Once she was sitting up, Heath stood back up and moved away from the bed. "I'm going to wait in the hallway. Once you're in your nightgown and under the covers, I'll come back in and sit by the bed for a while. I promise."

"Okay." Karen sounded so sleepy that it brought a smile to Heath's face.

He walked to the door and stepped outside just as Nick and Jarrod came down the hall towards him. "Did you find out what caused Flamestar to bolt like that?"

"Several rows of sandburs had been put on the underside of his saddle blanket. We've got the blanket put aside so that we can show the sheriff. Mother asked us to tell you that she's already sent someone for the doctor." Jarrod looked at the door. "How is she?"

"It looks like she not only hurt her wrist but also the right shoulder as well. Audra touched it and she gasped at the pain that went through her. Scared both of us for a moment."

All three men heard as Karen stifled a cry of pain. Heath had to steel himself not to run in and put a stop to the pain she was going through just trying to put her nightgown on. He knew that it was necessary for her to be in her nightgown when the doctor arrived. It would make it far easier for him to examine her.

"Heath, I admire your strength." Heath looked over at Nick. "I could never just stand here as my woman tried to get her clothes changed to see the doctor."

"She's not my woman yet, Nick. But I do love her and since I know this is for the best as it will make it far easier for the doctor to examine her when he gets here, I can steel myself."

"Still, I don't think I could do it. I'm too much of a hothead."

"You could. If it meant getting her the proper care and making her feel better."

"You have more faith in me than I have in myself." Nick shook his head. "I just tend to react more from emotion than thought. You know that by now, Heath."

"I do. But I also know that you would do whatever it took to make sure that the woman you loved could be taken care of properly. So that she could heal quicker and go back to being the woman you needed in your life."

"And is that really how you feel about Karen? That she's the woman you need in your life?"

"I do. I think that she's the only woman I'll ever need. I think that she can be my equal in every sense of the word, Nick. I really believe that. Especially considering everything she's been through in the past year or so. The kidnapping and everything else has just made her a much stronger person. And considering that she grew up in the Cartwright household, that just amplifies the whole thing."

"Heath, I think the two of you will make a magnificent couple. But I also don't think things will be easy for the two of you." Jarrod's words brought a nod from Nick. "I do, however, think that you will come through everything just fine if you remember to let the two families help where they can. Know, little brother, that all of us will stand with you whenever you need us. There is no way to scare us off. We're all glad that you've found someone that compliments you so completely. She does that in ways that are almost uncanny."

Nick smiled and nodded. "I don't think Heath could have found a better partner than Karen. She's strong and yet willing to admit when she needs help. Can't often find that in a person."

Just then, Audra poked her head out of the room. "Heath, she's changed and tucked in. I think she's already nearly asleep. The ride and the sheer fear from Flamestar bolting that way must have just worn her out completely. You can go on in now. I think it would be good to just let her sleep until the doctor gets here. She whimpered quite a bit while we were changing her into her nightgown but she only cried out the one time. When we had to get her right arm into the sleeve. She had to move that shoulder and that was what did it. She cried out when she had to lift the arm to put it into the sleeve."

"We heard it. Heath started but he kept himself from running in there and helping. I couldn't have been prouder of his self-control. I don't know if I could have restrained myself that well." Nick wanted to let his sister know just how proud of Heath he was. Jarrod nodded as if to agree with his brother.

"We both watched as he reacted to the cry. But he didn't do what we both expected him to do. I was also half expecting him to run in to help and get it over with quickly."

"I couldn't do that to Karen. It would humiliate her. I have to let her do things for herself where she can. Her family never coddled her as she was growing up and we can't do that now. It would ruin her self-confidence."

"He's right. We can't baby her just because she's hurt. But we can let her know that we'll be there to help her if she needs it."

"I'm going in to sit with her for a while until the doctor gets here. Will someone let Mother know?" Heath received nods from all three of his siblings before he walked into the room and sat down in the chair next to Karen's bed.

Heath never saw his siblings walk away to let their mother know that Karen was changed and resting in her room with Heath watching over her until the doctor arrived.

He sat next to her watching her sleep. Even though her back was to him, he could hear her whimpering in her sleep, undoubtedly plagued by nightmares of the panicked ride she endured the day before.

He wanted to hold her and comfort her but, with her shoulder hurting the way it was, he didn't dare. At least, not until the doctor told them what was wrong. He didn't want to hurt her any more than necessary. He could be content to sit and watch her as she slept.

About an hour later, Victoria knocked and entered the room with the doctor right behind her. "Heath, the doctor's here. Would you wake Karen?"

"Of course, Mother."

Heath stood up and sat down on the edge of the bed, placing one hand on Karen's back and the other in front of her on the bed. "Karen? Karen, you need to wake up now. The doctor's here. He wants to look at your wrist and shoulder so that he can see what's wrong and how to fix it."

Karen stirred and twisted on the bed. "Heath? You weren't in here when I laid down were you?"

"No, honey. I came in after. Audra came out after helping you into your nightgown and told us that she had tucked you in and you were all but asleep already. I came in and sat down beside the bed and watched over you to make sure that you didn't roll over onto that right shoulder or wrist. I didn't want you to hurt yourself worse."

"Thank you. Can you help me to sit up?" Heath nodded and helped her to sit up on the bed and then she looked at the doctor. "Thank you for coming out to see me. I've just been so tired since this all happened."

"Why don't you tell me what happened before I start examining the shoulder and wrist? That way I have all the information ahead of time and know what to look for."

Karen proceeded to tell the doctor all about the crazy ride that she'd been on that morning. Heath had only stepped in once to explain that the blanket had been laced with sandburs. Karen looked horrified at the thought that someone could be that cruel to a horse. But she also wondered who would have or could have done such a thing.

After the tale had been told, the doctor started examining Karen. He even went so far as to check her range of motion on her shoulder.

"I think we'll wrap that wrist and put a sling on in order to support the shoulder for a while. I'll come back out in a week and check to see how you're doing. We'll make further plans then. Sound good to you?"

Karen nodded. "Thank you, doctor."

"Don't thank me yet. I have a feeling you'll be dealing with some serious pain in that shoulder over the coming week. Warm towels will help keep things loosened up. And I want you to at least move that shoulder a little bit every day. It will hurt but, if you don't, it's going to stiffen up and you'll never get it healed properly."

"I promise. Thank you again."

Heath saw the doctor to the door of the room and then looked back at Karen. "I'll be back shortly, Karen. You just relax and we'll get you tucked back in shortly and you can sleep some more before supper." Karen nodded and lay back against her pillows.

By the time Heath returned after walking the doctor out, Karen was sound asleep, having pulled the covers up to her neck as best she could. Heath pulled them up better and tucked them in around her.

She didn't even move.


	9. Chapter 9

Waking up to the feeling of a gentle hand on her brow, Karen felt groggy at first. "Easy, Karen. Just let yourself wake up slowly. It's okay." Heath's voice greeted her as she struggled to wake up and find out where she was.

She let out a deep breath and relaxed into the pillow under her head. She was comfortable. Her shoulder ached and her wrist throbbed but she was comfortable and safe. She knew this. She let her eyes open and saw Heath sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling at her.

"There you are. Good evening, sleepyhead. Mother wanted me to wake you and tell you that dinner's almost ready. Do you think you can handle coming down for dinner? Or would you prefer a tray up here?"

"I'll come down. Would you help me to sit up so that I can put my robe on?" Heath sat down to help her from the left side so as not to jar the right too much.

Very gently, Heath helped Karen to get to her own feet and then helped to slide her robe up the right arm first before putting the left in its sleeve. Once it was fully settled around her, Heath tied the belt around her snugly but not too tight. Then, he put the sling he'd removed when they started working on putting her robe on back in place to support her shoulder and wrist.

"Are you ready?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.

She nodded and he allowed her to link her left arm with his right and they went downstairs.

* * *

"Karen! Oh my dear, it is so good to see you up and about!" Victoria said as Heath escorted Karen into the dining room for dinner. "How do you feel?"  
"Better after some sleep, Ms. Victoria. I understand that Nick and Jarrod discovered what made Flamestar rear and bolt the way he did?"

"They did. Apparently someone had lined one side of the saddle blanket with sandburs. There were a lot on the blanket. Nick and Jarrod made sure that none were left behind after they took the saddle blanket off."

"Thank goodness. Is Flamestar alright then?"

"My dear child, you are astounding. You worry for the horse that could have killed you instead of being angry with it." Victoria shook her head as she took Karen's hand as the girl sat next to her. "Yes. Flamestar is just fine. A bit worn out but that is to be expected with as far as he ran."

"I'm glad. I would have felt awful if he hadn't been alright."

"Well, dear, it was not your fault. Someone had deliberately set up that blanket and made sure that you put it on Flamestar. Were there any other blankets around?"

"No. Now that you mention it, there weren't. I thought it was odd but that they might be in the wash."

"The hands would never put all the saddle blankets to wash at one time. They have a system set up so that certain ones get washed at certain times. The standing rule is never leave only one blanket out at any time. It just doesn't work that way."

"Are there any new hands? Maybe someone who doesn't know the rules for that sort of thing?"

"We haven't hired anyone new in months. All of the hands know the rules and abide by them. They understand how important it is to follow them."

"Ms. Victoria, is it possible that someone simply came in and sabotaged the blanket, removing the others so I would have no choice but to use that one and then left?"

"I would hope that no one would be that cruel, either to you or the horse, but I suppose it should be considered. I would hope that our hands would notice someone that doesn't belong and stop them before they could do anything to anyone here."

Just then, one of the hands came in. He seemed worked up about something. "Ms. Victoria, we found the other saddle blankets that should have been laid out for use. Someone buried them under the hay in one of the stalls in the barn. We found them just a bit ago when we were cleaning things up out there, trying to see if they'd simply been misplaced."

"Is there anyway they got buried by accident?" Karen asked.

"No, miss. Not with the amount of hay on top of them. It had to have been done intentionally." Karen started feeling frightened. Obviously, someone had gone to a great deal of trouble in order to set this up. Apparently in the hopes of her getting seriously hurt, if not killed. She reached over to Heath and took his hand. He held hers gently, realizing just how frightened she was.

"From now on, I want someone with Karen anytime she works with the older horses. I don't care who it is. But I want one of our people with her anytime she's outside the house at all. Apparently, someone is trying to scare her or even harm her. I won't have it. Ben Cartwright trusted us with his daughter and I intend to see that she returns to him in the shape that she came here in." She looked around the room at her family and the hand that was standing there. "Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." The unified answer seemed to placate Victoria for the moment. She turned to the hand that had brought the news to her.

"I trust that you will pass the word and make sure that all of our people know to watch out for Miss Karen anytime she's outside this house."

"Of course, ma'am. I'll spread the word myself." He turned and went back outside.

Karen turned to Heath. The fear in her eyes was almost tangible. Everyone at the table was angry that someone was doing such a thing to a sweet girl like Karen. Heath felt it most of all. She had turned to him because she was now frightened. She didn't deserve this. Not one bit.

"Karen, dear. Why don't you finish your supper and then we'll see what is to be done afterward?"

Karen nodded. "Yes, ma'am." She turned back to her plate and quietly started eating what was on her plate, still worried and wondering what she had done to whom to make them hate her this much.

* * *

Her harsh whisper came out of the darkened barn. "Did you do as I told you to?" she asked as the man began touching her in ways that a man touches a woman he cares about. Her clothes began to fall away as he moved around her body.

"I did. But the old woman's sons saved her. I think that she hurt her shoulder and wrist. She may not be back for some time."

"That ought to teach her to mess with me." Lydia was trying to stay quiet but with the way the man was touching her, she was finding it increasingly difficult to do so.

"She won't get you in trouble again anytime soon. I promise you that. And if she does, I'll take care of the problem once and for all."

"What will you do?"

"I'll make sure that she doesn't finish school. And it won't be because she went home to her pa. Unless you count going home in a pine box." He laughed as the young woman beneath him fell apart under his touch.

* * *

The next several days, Karen stayed pretty close to the house and was never unaccompanied when she was outside, even if it was just to sit on the porch. She seemed rather skittish about every little noise she heard when she was outside and was even rather jumpy inside.

Victoria and Audra stayed as close to the young woman as possible as much as they could without making her feel smothered. Heath was also nearby almost constantly. Nick and Jarrod weren't quite as visible on a constant basis but they were watching as well.

For several hours the first three days after finding out that someone had tried to hurt her if not kill her, Karen spent a lot of time inside working on her classwork that she had brought with her so as not to fall behind in any of her classes.

On the fourth day after the incident with Flamestar, Karen made a decision. She walked into the dining room that morning dressed to ride.

"Karen?" Audra asked.

"I have decided that I'm through letting whoever this is cow me into a dark corner for whatever reason they may have come up with. I will continue working the older horses and if someone wants to come with me, that's fine. If they don't, I'll do it anyway."

Audra sat up a little straighter, proud of the young woman in front of her. "I'll be more than happy to go with you, Karen. Just let me know when you're ready and I'll go with you. In fact, I'll go change right after breakfast so that whenever you're ready, I'll be ready."

"I can work with that, Audra. Thank you."

Karen felt good as they sat eating at the table. She looked over at Victoria at one point. "Ms. Victoria?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I've made a decision. I'm finished letting whoever tampered with Flamestar's saddle blanket make me cower in fear. I'm a Cartwright and I have come to consider myself a Barkley. I won't let this person or these people destroy me like that. I'll be working with the horses today and Audra said she would be happy to be with me."

"I'm very proud of you, my dear. And very pleased that you consider yourself a Barkley as much as a Cartwright." She looked over at Audra. "Thank you for volunteering to go with her, Audra dear. Keep her safe. As well as yourself."

"I promise, Mother. I'll be going up to my room to change so that I can ride with Karen right after breakfast this morning."

"Would the two of you ladies like to have an extra riding along?" asked Heath.

Karen nodded and ducked her head. She tried to control the blush raging across her face with very little success.

Almost two hours after breakfast, Heath, Karen and Audra walked out to the stable and saddled up horses. Heath was basically riding guard for the two women. He wasn't about to let anything happen to either his sister or the young woman he loved. Audra had one of the older horses and Karen had Flamestar. Heath was on his own horse that he had worked with for years. The horse knew him and he knew the horse.

The time went quickly and before the three knew it, they were finished working the horses and back at the house for lunch.

The next week went very similarly. Everything stayed quiet as Heath was with the women everyday for the working of the older horses.

* * *

One morning, Heath approached the women as they were getting ready to take two horses out for a workout. "I can't go with you this morning. I have to go to town today. If you want to wait until later, I could go then."

"Why are you going to town today?"

"Mother has a shipment arriving today on the train and I'm picking it up for her. Nick and Jarrod are working with some of the ranch hands on repairing a stretch of fence that went down before any of the cattle get out."

"I understand. Well, since we're ready to go, we can go on our own. I have Audra with me and we both know that she can shoot as well as you and your brothers. And I'm not lacking in an ability to shoot."

"Just be careful, Karen. You too, Audra. We know that someone wants to see Karen out of the way for whatever reason they've come up with. We just don't know how patient they are."

"We'll be careful, Heath. I promise," Karen said, pressing a gentle kiss to Heath's cheek. We'll see you later today?"

Heath nodded. "I hope to be back shortly after lunch but I can't be certain. It'll all depend on if the train is on time today."

Karen stepped away from Heath and let him start saddling up his horse. He didn't want to leave Karen for some reason. He just didn't know what the reason was.

And he didn't have the time right now to figure it all out.


	10. Chapter 10

Karen and Audra had gone out riding to exercise the older horses and they were enjoying the day. It was a nice day with a clear blue sky and rather nice temperatures for the time of year. Both girls had decided that they would stick to the open areas of the ranch, where it would be easier to see danger coming at them.

Once they found a nice big field, they just opened up and let the horses run as hard as they could. Karen and Audra both found themselves laughing as the horses raced each other across the field.

The two women felt the wind on their faces and all of their worries just melted away.

At least until a gunshot echoed through the air. Both horses put on a burst of speed and turned back toward the house. Neither woman had control of the horses. The horses had taken control when the gunshot went off. Both women could do little more than hang on for dear life.

Arriving back at the barn, Karen was finally able to get her horse under control.

One of the ranch hands had grabbed at Audra's horse. She hadn't reacted much at all when they had ridden into the yard at an insane pace. The man pulled the horse to a stop and was taken by surprise when she fell from the saddle into his arms. He slid to his knees, cradling Audra carefully.

When he rolled her gently down to his arms, Karen screamed on seeing the blood that covered her dress. She jumped from her horse and ran to Audra's side. "Audra? Audra, no. You – you weren't supposed to get hurt while riding with me. Heath told you to keep yourself as safe as you kept me. You promised him that."

Karen's tears were guilt-laden and everyone around them knew it. One hand ran for the house to get Victoria. Another ran for his own horse in order to go to town and get the doctor. Two others grabbed a couple of clean saddle blankets and used one to cover the wound only and the other was used to cover Audra completely.

"Karen?"

"I'm here, Audra. I'm right here. I'm so sorry that you got hurt. You have to be okay. You can't leave us."

"Audra?" came Victoria's voice from near the house. Karen looked in that direction to see the older woman nearly running toward them, fear etched into her face. Victoria knelt beside her daughter, tears filling her eyes. She looked at the hands. "Lift the blanket. Let me see."

They immediately did as they were told. Karen had turned her head, not wanting to see the damage again. Not when she knew that it was all her fault.

Karen couldn't deal with the tears that started falling down Victoria's cheeks. She jumped to her feet and ran toward the house, her own tears blinding her to where her feet were going. She didn't even notice when she ran past Jarrod and Nick who were running to see what they could do to help their sister. She ran into the house and up to her room where she sat down in a corner away from the door and out of sight should someone look into the room from the doorway without actually entering the room.

 _'I'm certain they won't want me around after this. Audra's been shot and I don't know if she'll live or not. It's all my fault that she got hurt. I had to be stubborn and insist on going even without Heath. I should just pack my things and go back home to Pa and the boys. I don't really need all this schooling. I already know how to run a house and all I'm doing now is taking up space that could better be used for someone who might actually have a house to run one day.'_

Karen pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, hoping that no one would come looking for her. She didn't want them to look for her. She didn't feel as if she deserved it.

In Audra's room, the doctor was examining the wound. "I don't think you are in any danger of losing your daughter, Ms. Victoria. I think what caused her to collapse the way she did is the shock of having been shot. I also think that the fact that the horses bolted at the sound of the gunshot didn't help. Realizing that she had made it back to the ranch house and that – Karen, was it?- was safe as well, the adrenaline in her system burned off rather quickly and let her body relax to the point of collapse."

"She'll be alright?" Victoria asked, her voice still a bit fearful.

"I believe she'll be just fine." The sky started clouding over rather quickly just then. "I don't think I'll make it back to town before that storm hits. Would it be alright if I just stay here until it passes by?"

"I insist, doctor. In fact, I've already had my hands put your horse in the barn so that he'd be protected if the storm hit before you were ready to leave."

"Thank you, Ms. Victoria. I appreciate that very much." He smiled at the matriarch of the family. "Besides, this gives me a chance to observe Audra a bit more closely and make sure that I am right in my diagnosis."

Victoria had retired to her study and sat down to go over the books. Nick and Jarrod were keeping the doctor busy with chess and discussion as the storm raged on. Suddenly, Victoria looked up. _'I haven't seen Karen since the girls rode back in. She ran to the house when the hands lifted the blanket so that I could see how bad Audra was and I haven't seen her since. I think we'd better see if we can find her.'_

Victoria stood up and walked out into the living room where Jarrod was currently playing chess against the doctor. "Jarrod. Nick. Have either of you seen Karen lately?"

"No, Mother," replied both young men in near perfect sync.

"I haven't seen her since she ran from Audra's side when I asked the hands to lift the blanket so that I could see Audra's wound. Help me find her. I don't like the thought that she may have been hurt too."

"Mother, do you really think she may have been injured too and just felt too guilty about Audra being hurt to tell anyone?" Jarrod asked, picking up immediately on what his mother was saying.

"I think it is possible. She would want us to focus more on Audra than on her. She could very possibly hide such a thing from us to keep us from worrying about her." She stood up straighter. "Search the house. She has to be here somewhere."

Nick and Jarrod stood from the table they sat around and moved to start looking through the house. Both men went upstairs and started from opposite ends of the hall. Both hoping they would be bringing their mother good news.

Jarrod walked into the room that they had given Karen but he didn't see her. He looked under the bed and in the closet and behind the doors. No sign of Karen.

At the other end of the hallway, Nick had started searching rooms the same thorough way Jarrod was. In Heath's room, he found Karen curled up in the wardrobe, sound asleep.

He smiled at her when he saw her there.

Bending over, he gathered her gently into his arms and moved her into his brother's bed, tucking the covers up over her. She didn't wake at all.

Of course, Nick wasn't happy with the tear tracks on her cheeks. But he stepped away from the bed and left the room, wanting to let both Jarrod and his mother know that the young woman who was making such an impact on the family was safe and sound.

Stepping into the hallway, Nick saw Jarrod stepping out of Karen's room just next door. He gestured to Jarrod who immediately walked over to him. "Did you find her?"

"Ssshh. She was in Heath's room, curled up in his wardrobe asleep. I moved her to his bed and tucked her in. Jarrod, she looked like she'd been crying hard. Tear tracks dried on her face."

"Let her sleep for a bit yet. Heath hasn't returned home and Audra's resting well also. We'll go let Mother know that she's safe and sound here in the house.

Walking into the living room where Victoria sat in her usual chair, talking with the doctor who was sitting on the couch, both men were glad to have good news for their mother. They would be even happier when Heath returned.

"Did you find her?" Victoria asked, worry lacing the older woman's voice.

"Nick did. She was in Heath's room. He found her in the wardrobe curled up asleep."

"I moved her to Heath's bed and tucked her in. She didn't wake up at all. But, Mother, she'd been crying. Hard from the looks of it. She had tear tracks down her cheeks."

"I'm just glad she didn't try to run off. We'll deal with the other later, when she's had a chance to sleep and relax."

"Has Heath come home yet?"

"Not yet. I hope he was smart enough to stay in town until this blows over. I wouldn't want him taking any risks to get home in this storm."

Jarrod nodded. "I agree, Mother. I agree. I just hope it blows over soon because I think we may need him here to calm Karen down when she wakes up."

"He does seem to have a magic touch when it comes to her, doesn't he?" Victoria smiled as she thought about the fact that her son seemed to be able to comfort the young woman who was staying with them so easily.

Victoria and her two eldest sons would have been pleased to know that Heath had taken a hotel room for the night with the guest that had arrived on the train. Adam Cartwright had decided that he needed to see how his sister was doing at her new school and so had made an unannounced trip with his father's blessing so that they would all know how she was.

Heath found himself worried about Karen as he settled in for the night after he and Adam had eaten supper in the dining room downstairs. "Heath, what aren't you telling me? What has you so worried that you would be willing to brave a storm like this to get back to the ranch?"

"Your sister doesn't do so well during storms without me around and I miss her anyway."

Adam smiled. "I can understand that. I came to see her because I miss her. And storms have often bothered her in the past but she usually makes it through okay."

"And I'm sure she will this time. I just would rather be there for her."

"Heath, is she doing okay at school?"

"She's been doing just fine at school. Except for one girl who has been teasing her about me riding with her back to the school after her first weekend at the ranch. She accused Karen of traveling with someone who was less than a gentleman with her. And of acting like less than a lady. The headmistress sent her home to us after that to allow her to calm down." Heath breathed heavily. The thought of someone accusing Karen of less than ladylike behavior made his blood boil. "I apologize, Adam. The thought of anyone thinking that your sister is less than a lady just makes me so mad..."

"I understand that thought. I can't understand how anyone could think such a thing about my sister."

"I think I understand where this girl is coming from. She doesn't seem to like being away from home to attend school. She doesn't think that women need to be educated. From what Karen says, she's always trying to get thrown out of school and then acting like she's done nothing wrong and that the schools are just trying to keep her from getting the education that her family wants her to have."

"So she thinks to set her hat for some rich fella who doesn't care if she has an education or not so long as she can bear children and keep house?"

"In fact, from what Karen says, most of the girls at the school believe she's set her cap for me. I wouldn't have her. I don't think she's half the lady your sister is."

"Then, stay your course, Heath. I think I can say with some certainty that my sister likes you as much as you like her and that can only be a good thing."

The two men slipped into the two beds in the room and slid off to sleep, praying that the storm would abate by morning so that they could get out to the Barkley ranch.

Audra woke up just before supper was served at the ranch that night. She had woke up with a cry, calling for Karen. Jarrod had been checking on her when she woke up.

Her eyes flew open and she moved as she called out. "Karen!"

"Audra. Audra, it's me. Jarrod. You're safe, Audra. Karen is too." Jarrod sat down beside his sister. He didn't want her waking Karen up but he did want her to calm down.

"Is she? She didn't get hit?"

"No, Audra. She's safe and sound just down the hall in Heath's room."

"Promise me that she's safe, Jarrod."

"I promise you, Audra. Why are you so worried?"

"I'm almost certain that the shot that hit me was meant for her." Audra looked around the room. "Where is she?"

"I told you, Audra. She's down the hall in Heath's room. I think she thought we would blame her for your injury and hid in there. Nick found her in the wardrobe and tucked her into Heath's bed. He said she'd been crying."

"Jarrod, please. As soon as she wakes up, will you bring her to me? I want to see her for myself." Jarrod nodded, knowing that he couldn't refuse his sister such a simple request. Not if it would make her feel better.

"I promise. Just rest a little more and we'll bring a tray up here for your supper this evening. Okay?"

"Okay." She relaxed against the pillows and, before Jarrod knew it, his sister was once again sleeping peacefully.

 _'I don't want to wake Karen but I think she needs to eat something as much as Audra does. And then I would have a reason to make sure that Karen wasn't hurt and is just hiding it from us. None of us would be happy about that.'_

Jarrod knew that his mother would want to know about Audra waking up and the doctor would too. He decided to inform them of the occurrence and then, while they were checking on Audra, he would check on Karen.

After all, he knew what Audra was thinking and he agreed. That would be the sort of thing that Karen would do to protect them from worrying about her while Audra was hurt.

Now he had to know if Karen had been hurt in this incident.


	11. Chapter 11

"Mother? Doctor? I was checking on Audra and she woke up. I thought you might like to know."

"Thank you, Jarrod. That was good thinking. Is she still awake?" Victoria asked her oldest son.

"No, Mother. She fell back to sleep rather quickly but she managed to voice a concern that I think I will have to check on. She sounded worried that Karen had been hurt in the incident as well. She insisted that I bring Karen to her when she woke up so that Audra could see for herself that Karen was alright."

"I think that maybe you should go and take care of that. It might be easier to wake her now than to comfort her if the storm should wake her. Just be gentle when you wake her."

"I promise, Mother." Jarrod turned around and headed back up the stairs. He knew that this was going to be a tricky proposition.

He knocked lightly on Heath's door before turning the handle and opening the door slowly. When he poked his head around the door, he saw Karen curled up to Heath's pillow and facing away from the window. She seemed to be shaking in the light from the lightning flashes.

"Karen? Karen, are you alright?"

The young woman sat upright on the bed, clutching the covers tightly to her. Her eyes had gone large with fright. Jarrod moved quickly to the bed and pulled her in for a hug. "It's alright, Karen. I promise. Everything is alright. You're safe here at the house and so is Audra. She's going to be alright."

"Audra's okay?" Karen asked in a small voice as she huddled into the hug that Jarrod offered.

"She will be. She'll probably be very sore and not able to do much for a few days, but the doctor says that she'll be okay. He said that it wasn't a serious injury."

"Can I- can I see her?" Karen looked up at the man who had brought her the news that she had hoped to hear.

"I think that can be arranged. She woke up earlier and asked to see you. She wants to reassure herself that you're alright. I tried to tell her that you were but she is most insistent that she see for herself. Would you like to go see her right now? I think Mother and the doctor are in there right now checking on her."

"Is Ms. Victoria angry that Audra got shot?"

"Not angry, dear girl. Merely worried for my daughter." The voice from the doorway answered before Jarrod had a chance. Victoria walked into the room and straight to the side of the bed. "Karen, if I **were** angry about Audra getting shot, I would not be angry with you. I would be angry with the person who shot her." She looked down at the young woman who had made herself a place within this close knit family. "But I would like the doctor to take a look at you as well, my dear. Just to make certain that you are uninjured as you seem to be. May I bring him in?"

Karen nodded. "I think that would be alright. Will you stay as he examines me?"

"We both will. I think Jarrod can stay as well. In fact, since you seem so comfortable with him right now, he may even stay sitting on the bed next to you if you want him to."

"I think I would like that."

Victoria went to the door and called in the doctor. Then, she sat down in the chair beside Heath's bed. Jarrod re-positioned himself on the bed. Karen slid herself over to his side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Just relax, Karen. He's not going to hurt you."

"I know. I just wish Heath were here."

"I wish he were too, dear. I wish he were. I would much prefer to have my whole family under my roof during storms like this one." Victoria's voice soothed a great many of Karen's fears as the doctor began to examine her. Before she knew it, he was finished.

"Ms. Victoria, this young lady, with the exceptions of the injuries I treated the last time I was out here, seems to be in excellent health. I think everything is going to be just fine here."

"Doctor, would you like to get some sleep? I think Silas set up a room for you."

"I would indeed, Ms. Victoria. Thank you."

The two of them walked out of the room and Jarrod just continued holding Karen gently close to him. "You can sleep, Karen. I'm right here."

"I think I'd better go in and see Audra before supper so that she can stop worrying." Karen stood up from the bed and Jarrod walked with her into Audra's room.

"Audra? Audra, I brought someone to see you if you're up to it."

"Is it Karen? Jarrod, have you brought Karen in? I didn't want you to wake her if she was sleeping."

"I woke up because of the storm, Audra. He didn't wake me. I promise." Karen sat down next to her and touched her hand. "How bad is it, Audra? Tell me the truth."

"I'll be fine. The doctor says I only passed out because the adrenaline wore out when I realized that we had made it back to the house."

"I'm so glad you're going to be alright. I feel so bad that you got hurt when you went out with me. I feel like this whole thing is all my fault." Karen was crying now and that bothered Jarrod. It obviously bothered Audra too.

"Karen, no. This is definitely not your fault. I do not blame you and I'm certain beyond belief that Mother doesn't either."

"Of course, I don't blame you, Karen. I hope you believe that. I couldn't blame you. You didn't make this person shoot Audra. You didn't ask them to shoot at you."

"No, Ms. Victoria! Never!"

"Then, dear girl, do not think that I could possibly blame you for something you didn't cause to happen." Victoria walked around the bed and wrapped her arms around the young woman sitting next to Audra. Karen turned into the embrace and wrapped her arms around the older woman's waist, hugging her tightly.

Victoria hugged her back and patted her shoulders. "Everything is fine, Karen. We are all safe and I'm sure that Heath will be home in the morning when the storm is over."

Karen stiffened a little bit on hearing that Heath still wasn't home. Victoria just held her closer.

"You wouldn't have wanted him to try to travel in this storm, would you, Karen?"

"No. But I worry about him when he isn't with me."

"He'll be safe. He knows that you need him, dear. He won't take any unnecessary chances. Not when he knows that you need him to be safe as much as he needs you to be safe."

"Mother's right, Karen. He won't take any chances because he wants to come back to you." Audra was trying to comfort Karen but she wasn't sure that it was working.

Victoria started noticing that Karen was starting to droop a bit. "Karen, dear, would you like to join us for dinner before you go to sleep?"

"I shouldn't be so tired. I'm not the one that got hurt."

"You had an overdose of adrenaline just like Audra did," the doctor explained. "And just like Audra, you have burned off the extra adrenaline now and your body needs to rest after the added jolt. It's a completely normal reaction to the type of excitement you and Audra both had today. I would suggest eating dinner and then getting a good night's sleep. You'll feel much better in the morning."

"Jarrod, would you take Karen downstairs and ask Silas to have the kitchen prepare a tray for Audra up here? I'll make sure that she eats and then I'll come down and eat myself."

"Yes, Mother. Doctor, would you care to join us?"

"I will. I think it is very important to have a decent meal before bedtime. I'll check back in with you before I head off to bed, Miss Audra."

"Thank you, doctor. I'm sorry you got stranded out here."

"It's not a bad place to get stranded. But thank you."

Audra looked at her mother. "Mother, you should eat first and then bring my tray up for me. I insist."

The doctor offered his arm to Victoria and Jarrod offered his to Karen as the four of them left the room. Nick was downstairs in the dining room already when they arrived.

"Hello, Mother. Doctor. Jarrod. Karen. I hope you feel better after your nap, Karen."

"I would feel better if Heath were here. You've all taken such good care of me. But I just wish Heath were here so that I knew he was safe."

"I'm certain that my brother would appreciate the gesture, Karen. But I'm also very sure that he is most likely sitting in one of the hotels in town just waiting for this weather to clear."

* * *

Heath slept that night but not well. He tossed and turned, remembering the last time he'd been out in a storm like this. Out on the Ponderosa. The night that Karen intended to kill herself with her father's own gun.

His dreams were not pleasant and he didn't get nearly enough rest. He was up repeatedly looking out the window of the hotel and wishing that he could head home.

 _ **HEATH'S NIGHTMARE**_

 _Heath saw himself standing outside the stable and watching for Audra and Karen to return from exercising the horses. He had no idea which direction they had gone but he knew they'd been gone for a while._

 _Suddenly, two horses came galloping into the yard, their sides lathered in sweat. Audra fell off the first horse, exhausted. "Help Karen!" She cried. "Help Karen!"_

 _Heath ran to Flame Star's side and pulled Karen off the horse to find her unresponsive. He laid her on the ground and that's when he noticed the blood on his hands from her back. He lifted her up enough that he could see the hole in her back where she'd been shot._

 _"No! Karen! Someone get the doctor! Hurry!" Heath grabbed the blanket that someone handed him and pressed it against the wound. "Karen, stay with me. Please! You have to stay with me! I need you!"_

 _"Heath? Heath, is that you?" Karen's voice sounded slurred, as if she'd had too much to drink._

 _"I'm here, Karen. I'm right here."_

 _"I was worried that I wouldn't make it back in time to tell you."_

 _"Tell me what?"_

 _"I love you, Heath. I really do." And with those words, Karen went unconscious._

 _"No!" He felt hands take his shoulders. "No! She can't leave me!"_

 _ **HEATH'S NIGHTMARE ENDS**_

"Heath! Heath! Wake up!" Adam's voice finally penetrated the nightmare and reached Heath.

He looked up at Adam. "What happened?"

"Why don't you tell me? I woke up to you calling for someone to get a doctor and then you started begging Karen to stay with you, telling her that you need her."

"Just a nightmare. Thank God it was just a nightmare." Adam's puzzled look drew Heath's attention. "Someone sabotaged a saddle blanket when Karen was going to work one of our older horses. Mother offered her the chance to do that when she asked for something to do. She was taking a little extra time away from school at the suggestion of the headmistress. There were some problems with one of the other girls teasing Karen and suggesting that I had been less than a gentleman with her. I told you a little about that earlier. When Karen got into the saddle with that blanket under it, the horse reared and bolted. My brothers and I rode out after her, worried for her safety. We finally caught up to them. The horse has amazing stamina but it eventually ran out. When we caught them, Karen's hand was wrapped up in the reins where she'd been trying to hold onto the saddle horn. It twisted her wrist and apparently strained her shoulder as well. My brothers put her on my horse with me and I took her back to the house."

"What happened in the nightmare?"

"In my nightmare, Karen and Audra rode into the yard with Audra yelling for someone to help Karen. I went to her only to find that she'd been shot in the back. She told me she loved me just before she passed out." Heath took a deep breath that shook. Adam noticed it.

"Is that where I woke you up?"

Heath nodded. "I'm kind of glad you did. I don't think I want to know what happened next. I've never seen anyone survive a wound like that one."

"Heath, can you honestly say that you love my sister?"

"I can. Although I would like to get to know her a little bit better than I already do."

"I think that would be a good idea. Now, let's try to get a little more sleep. The storm's let up and we need to head out at first light. I'm eager to see my little sister."

Heath chuckled. "You aren't the only one, Adam. You aren't the only one."

The two men got back to sleep, both glad that the storm had passed by. Heath hoping that Karen hadn't been too disturbed by the storm.

* * *

Heath didn't need to worry. Right after Jarrod had taken her downstairs and made sure that she ate something, Karen fell asleep on the couch where she had sat down in order to work on some embroidery.

No one had even noticed until the hoop fell from her hands and hit the floor. Nick and Jarrod had looked at her with indulgent smiles on their faces. Jarrod picked her up and carried her back to Heath's room. Nick picked up the embroidery hoop and set it off to one side so that Karen could work on it the next day.

Thankfully, Jarrod had left Heath's door open just a bit. He was able to just push it open the rest of the way with his foot. He lay her down on the bed and pulled a light blanket up over her. "Sleep tight, Karen. And know that you are safe here with us." He kissed her forehead and left the room, pulling the door shut behind him before making his way to his own room.


	12. Chapter 12

First light came and Heath heaved a sigh of relief as he and Adam left the hotel they'd slept in the night before. He was glad to be heading home to his family and the woman he loved. And even gladder to be bringing her big brother to see her. He could only hope that Adam understood how he felt when he saw the two of them together.

The two men rode out of town together heading for the ranch, not knowing that someone was following them.

Arriving back at the ranch shortly after breakfast, Heath was greeted by his mother and Jarrod on the porch. He was surprised that Karen and Audra weren't heading over to the stable to saddle the older horses for their daily ride.

Hugging his mother, Heath kissed her cheek. "Good morning, Mother." He looked around. "Have Karen and Audra already left for their morning ride?"

That was when he noticed the tears building in his mother's eyes. "Ms. Victoria? What happened?" Adam asked.

"Audra and Karen went out riding yesterday. They came back sooner than expected." The tears started falling. "Audra had been shot. The doctor says it isn't a dangerous injury." Heath's heart skipped a beat worrying about his sister and Karen.

"And Karen?"

"Karen wasn't hurt. At least not physically. But I think that she was scarred mentally by the entire incident. When I came out to see what had happened to Audra, Karen ran off and hid. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't even realize that she hadn't been seen after the doctor arrived until nearly supper time. I sent Jarrod and Nick to look through the house for her. Nick found her curled up in your wardrobe, Heath. She'd fallen asleep in there. Nick lay her on your bed and covered her with a blanket."

"Where is she now?" Heath wanted to see her, make sure that she was as uninjured as his mother told him that she was.

"Still asleep in your bed. We decided to let her sleep until she woke up on her own. The doctor said that it would be good for her to sleep and let her mind heal from the shock of Audra being shot."

"Adam, would you like to see her too?"

"I think I will. It might be good for her to see me." Heath walked into the house and Adam followed him.

* * *

The two of them stood just inside the doorway looking at Karen curled up in Heath's bed and wrapped around one of his pillows. Heath and Adam could make out the tear tracks down her cheeks.

Adam walked over to the bed and sat down next to his sister. He brushed some hair back from her face. "Poor Karen. To go through all that you have and yet still keep going. You truly do have the strength of a Cartwright."

"You and Pa and the others taught me well, Adam." The sleepy voice that came from the young woman on the bed made Adam smile with memories of a time when she had been so innocent and care-free. Suddenly, she started up. "Adam? What –?"

Adam smiled at her. "I decided that I missed you too much to avoid a trip out here to check on you."

"Is everything alright back home? Pa? Hoss? Little Joe? Hop Sing?"

Adam chuckled. "Everyone's fine. Now what's this Heath's been telling me about some trouble you've had?"

She threw herself into her brother's arms, crying as if her heart were broken. "It's all my fault!" she sobbed.

"What is, honey?"

"I was stubborn and wanted to go for a ride. To exercise the horses. Audra went with me and she got shot."

"If you had gone alone,-" Adam started as Heath just stood near the door not making himself known at the moment. He knew that Adam needed to talk to his sister for the moment.

"I would have been the only one hurt. Audra got hurt because of me. I just couldn't wait for Heath to get back so that we would have an extra set of eyes around."

"But can't you see how that would have hurt everyone else? How they would have felt if you had gotten hurt because they allowed you to go without anyone there to watch out for you?"

"But it wouldn't be their fault."

"They wouldn't see it that way. They would see it as they had let you and Pa down. As well as us three boys. They think of it as their responsibility to keep you safe. And they don't consider it a chore."

"How would you know, Adam?" she asked sitting up and looking into her brother's eyes.

"I told him so. We've all said it at some point since your arrival. How much we appreciate the fact that you trust us with your safety. Just like you trust your family to help you protect yourself. That's what we think of this as. We're helping you to protect yourself. Making it easier for you to do so and taking some of the pressure off your shoulders." Heath stepped forward at that point, only wanting to help convince Karen that they didn't think she was to blame for the whole situation. He sat down on the opposite side of the bed from Adam. "Honey, we don't mind helping you protect yourself. That's something we appreciate you trusting us enough to let us do."

Karen switched from her brother's arms to the arms of the man she loved. "Heath, I'm sorry. I just didn't want the horses to fall out of their routine. I didn't mean for Audra to get hurt. I swear it."

"Karen, no one here blames you. I'm sure of it. I honestly am certain of it." Heath was certain his mother would have at least attempted to convince the young woman that none of this was her fault. Obviously, Karen wasn't buying any of it.

"It is my fault. Maybe I should just go home and stop causing all of you so much trouble."

"Do you really want to do that? How would you continue your schooling? You went to all the trouble to get into the school here. Was that all just a waste of time?" Adam asked.

"I don't know, Adam. I just don't know." Karen's tears were tearing Heath's heart out. He just wanted to shelter her in his arms and hold her forever.

"Do you want to leave me? My family? Do you know how much that would hurt them?"

"I don't want to leave you or them, Heath. But I just seem to be causing you all so much trouble. I hate that."

"Karen, do you honestly believe that my mother would ever lie to you?"

"No! Never!"

"Then why don't you believe her when she says that this is not your fault?"

"I do believe her. But I seem to keeping bringing trouble to you and your family. I don't like that. I hate that some people are starting to think that you could be anything less than a gentleman with a lady."

"Karen, honey, let me tell you something. I have never cared what people thought. I know what the truth is and if they can't see it, well, that's their problem not mine."

"He's not lying to you, Karen. Heath has never been one to worry about what others thought about him. He worries about us but not himself." Karen turned to see Audra standing at the door and leaning on it very heavily.

"Audra, should you be out of bed?" Karen ran to her. Adam reached her first and guided her to a chair nearby that she could sit in.

"I doubt it. But I needed to make sure that you were okay." She held her hand up. "I know that I saw that you weren't hurt. But I needed to make sure that you were okay up here." She pointed to her head. "Something like this can really mess a person up and make them think all kinds of things that aren't true."

"Like me thinking that I'm causing you all too much trouble and maybe I should just go home?" Karen asked with a small voice. Audra stood up with a gentle look for the young woman she had come to see as a little sister.

"Yes, silly. Just like that." Audra lay a gentle hand against Karen's cheek and smiled down at her. Leaning down, Audra kissed Karen's forehead. "Don't leave us, Karen. I believe that we need you as much as you need us. Stay. Please."

"I'll stay. But please forgive me for all the trouble I seem to be attracting to your home?"

Audra smiled at Karen. "I don't believe that there is anything to forgive but since it means so much to you, I do forgive you, Karen. And I hope you stay as long as needed to complete your education."

Heath was there when Karen turned around. "I forgive you as well. Not that I believe there is anything to forgive any more than Audra does." He wrapped his arms around the young woman in front of him and hugged her close to him.

Everyone looked to the doorway when they heard Victoria's voice. "I forgive you too, dear child. Although, much as with my two youngest, I see nothing to forgive. Do stay with us. We would all miss you if you left."

"Mother isn't wrong, Karen. We would all miss you if you left. And I too feel that while there is nothing to forgive, I need to say it. I forgive you."

"If it's what you need to make you feel better, little sister, I forgive you too. Not there is anything to forgive as the rest of my family has said."

Jarrod's and Nick's words cemented the thought in her head. She was forgiven and she had no need to leave.

"I'll stay. I can't let this be the reason that I don't complete my studies. Pa promised my mother that I would have a good education and I can't break his promise to her. Adam, you aren't upset that I really won't be returning home until the summer?"

"Of course not, Karen. You will someday need your education and I am very proud of you for choosing to continue. I'm sure it wasn't an easy choice to make." He hugged his sister.

"Adam, would you like to stay for a few days and visit with Karen? I'm sure that we can find a space for you."

"I would indeed, Ms. Victoria. Thank you."

Karen smiled. She was certain that a few extra days with Adam would be just what she needed after all of this.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast served on behalf of the fact that they had an extra person at the table, Karen took Adam out to the stable and introduced him to the older horses.

"Karen, would you like some extra company on your ride this morning with the older horses?" Adam asked her as she saddled one of the horses. Heath had decided to ride one of the other older horses and would be riding with her.

"I think that would be wonderful, Adam. What do you think, Heath?"

"I think that would be a good idea. He could ride the third horse and then we could complete all the exercise in one ride."

"I'll take Flamestar. He's a rather temperamental old boy when he doesn't know someone. But he and I have an understanding." Karen was talking as she turned the horse she had been saddling over to Adam and walked toward the other stall. "Don't we, Flamestar? You behave for me because you know that I won't hesitate to tell Ms. Victoria if you don't." The horse nickered and nodded his head.

"Are you trying to tell me that this horse is actually afraid of Ms. Victoria?" Adam asked with a grin.

"He isn't exactly afraid of her but he does know that it isn't a good idea to get on her bad side. She may not be a man but she has a mean guilt trip when she chooses to use it."

"That's a trademark of all good mothers," Adam said smiling. "Most of them don't even have to choose to use that guilt trip. It just comes out instinctively."

"I guess some mothers are just better at it than others."

"I think you're right, Heath. And there's nothing to argue about on that subject."

The three of them set off on their ride. Karen hanging back a bit, not as certain of herself as she once was. She was worried. Worried that something might happen while they were out and she might not be able to help the two men as much as she would like to. Worried that she might actually get in the way of them doing what they needed to do.

"Karen, are you okay?" Heath asked noticing that she had been far quieter than usual. Both men had noticed it. Adam allowed Heath to fall back and ascertain whether or not Karen was worried about something that she might not be willing to tell him about.

"I just don't know, Heath. I have a feeling about today. That something's going to happen on the ride and I'm not sure that I'll be much help to the two of you when it does happen. But I'm not sure what's going to happen. I just don't think it's going to be anything good."

"Karen, everything's going to be just fine. Adam and I are here and you're protected. No one is going to hurt you. I promise you that much. Okay?"

"Okay. Just make sure that you and Adam don't get hurt, okay? It might make me start feeling like a jinx."

Heath chuckled at that and reached out his hand to take hers. Suddenly, all three of them came to a stop.

There were eight people sitting astride horses in front of them. "We'll take the girl," one of them said leveling a shotgun at Adam.

"She stays with us. She's my sister."

"Not really. We already know that she's not your real sister. There's no blood between you."

"Doesn't matter. She's my sister and I'm not handing her over to you."

Karen knew that this man would shoot Adam over her. She was terrified. But Heath continued to hold her hand. He looked at her and shook his head ever so slightly. He knew Adam's reputation as a fast gun.

Karen started thinking. She was no slouch when it came to shooting fast. Adam had worked with her extensively to boost her speed. If Adam could take out three of those men and Heath could take out another three, she had no doubt she could take the other two. The only question became if one of them would be hurt in the process.

She nudged her horse forward as if to surrender to the men. She had no clue what they wanted with her but she wasn't sure that she wanted to risk either Heath or Adam. She thought, _'If I could get the men distracted somehow after they start me riding away from Heath and Adam, maybe we could overpower them and bring them in for attempting to kidnap me.'_

"What do you want with my sister?"

"It's not what **we** want, Cartwright. It's what Gregori Dastrovsky wants with her. He wants her in exchange for the fact that he lost his wife to her sense of vengeance. He will let the girl pay for his wife's loss."

"Gregori will not have my sister. She has nothing to do with all of this."

"Oh but she does. You see it was kidnapping her to make your family pay for what happened to them after leaving Virginia City all those years ago that cost Mr. Dastrovsky the wife he loved so much."

"If he loved her so much, why did he introduce her around Virginia City as his daughter? Why did he not keep her closer to home? Why didn't they have some children to keep her occupied?"

"That is none of our business and none of your business either. Unless you want to go with us to ask him yourself."

Heath noticed at that point that Karen had been edging forward. He moved his horse forward and took the reins to Flame Star. "I don't think so, sweetheart. You're not going anywhere with them. This Gregori character probably told these creeps that he didn't care if you came to him intact of not. If you get my meaning. He wants to exact revenge on your family for his wife dying and he will probably take you whether they do on the way or not."

"We've been told that she is to arrive intact." Apparently, one of Gregori's henchmen had heard what Heath said to Karen. "He wants that pleasure for himself. If she doesn't satisfy him, he'll turn her over to us and we get to have whatever fun we want with her. At least, until he decides that she's no longer useful to anyone." The men all laughed.

In a moment of terror, Karen grabbed the reins from Heath's hands and turned Flame Star around. She kicked him into a hard gallop and headed back for the ranch, praying that Adam and Heath were following her. She just prayed that she could reach the Barkley ranch before Gregori's henchmen caught up with her or decided just to shoot her down.

She felt almost certain that Flame Star was picking up on her fear because he was running faster than she had ever seen him run before. She leaned in as close to his neck as she could to keep the wind resistance down.

But suddenly she felt herself falling from the horse's back. Landing hard on the ground, her head hit a rock with a good deal of force. She sat up shaking her head in an attempt to clear it.

She was still sitting there when Flame Star came back to her and nuzzled his nose to her cheek. "I fell, didn't I, boy?" He nodded. "I need to get back up. I'll never get back to the ranch if I don't and those men could catch me." She started pulling herself to her feet at first by holding on to the stirrup and then working her way up to her feet, at which point she was holding on to the saddle to keep herself stable.

Flame Star nickered and she knew what he meant. "I know, boy. I need to get back in the saddle so that you can get me back to the ranch. I'm trying. I just can't seem to keep myself steady enough to do it."

Finally, she was able to get herself settled enough that she was able to pull herself into the saddle and hang on as he started toward the ranch again.

Before she knew it, Flame Star arrived back at the ranch. He rode straight into the yard where Jarrod and Nick were working on something. Jarrod grabbed the reins and Nick stepped closer. Karen's adrenaline died out and she slipped from the saddle nearly unconscious.

One of the ranch hands stepped forward with a blanket and started rubbing down the horse. She had ridden him to a lather and they didn't want him getting chilled.

Nick had caught Karen as she slid from the saddle, her knees weakened by the fright she'd had. He dropped to his knees with her in his arms as his older brother dropped to the other side of the young woman between them. "Karen, where are Heath and Adam?" Nick demanded of her.

"I don't know if they were following me or not." She sounded almost delirious. Nick looked at Jarrod, his worry on his face.

"I'll take some hands and we'll find them. Make sure they're on the way back." He brushed the hair back from Karen's face. "You just stay put, Karen. Nick will watch over you and stay with you until I bring the boys back."

"I promise. I don't think I could walk anywhere right now even if I wanted to." She moved to stand up. Jarrod scrambled to his feet first and Nick followed as soon as Karen was on her feet with Jarrod holding on to her, ensuring that she was stable. She still wavered. "I didn't hurt Flame Star did I? With that wild ride?"

"I don't think so. One of the hands is taking care of him now. I'm sure they let us know when they get him taken care of whether or not he's okay." He looked at Nick. "Take her inside and don't let anyone in until I get back with Heath and Adam."

Nick nodded before scooping Karen up in his arms and striding toward the house. Jarrod ran for the stable to saddle his horse. He knew that his youngest brother was out there and might be in trouble. He couldn't just leave his brother and his friend, Adam Cartwright, out where they could be hurt.

Gesturing to the twelve ranch hands that had already saddled up, the whole group of them rode out of the stable and then out of the yard in the direction that Karen had come from. They would find Heath and Adam or they wouldn't come back.

Nick strode straight into the house with Karen cradled carefully in his arms. Victoria had been sitting in her chair in the living room and jumped up when he walked in. "What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know, Mother. Jarrod and I were in the yard when Flame Star rode in at a full gallop. He rode straight up to Jarrod and I moved to his side where Karen slid out of the saddle and into my arms. She seemed so weak that we asked her where Adam and Heath were. She just said that she wasn't sure if they had followed her or not."

"Where's Jarrod?"

"He took about twelve hands with him and rode out to find Heath and Adam. He told me to bring Karen inside and not to let anyone in until he got back with Heath and Adam."

Victoria nodded. "For now, take poor Karen up to her room. Ask Audra if she feels up to sitting with her for a bit. Tell her what happened if you must and only if you must. After that, you come back down here and we'll organize to keep the house protected until your brothers and Adam return to the house."

"Yes, Mother."

"Ms. Victoria?" Karen's voice sounded shaky and weak.

"What is it, dear?"

"I'm sorry I left Heath and Adam behind. I just couldn't take the way the men were talking about what would happen to me after they took me to their boss."

"Who was their boss, Karen? Can you tell me?"

"Gregori Dastrovsky. His wife is the one that kidnapped me the first time." Karen shuddered as if remembering the horrible things she'd gone through because of the woman.

"He's not going to get you here, dear. You are safe." She brushed a gentle hand across Karen's forehead before looking up at Nick. "Take her upstairs. She'll be safer up there than down here."

"Yes, Mother." Nick started up the stairs, moving carefully so as to keep Karen secure in his grip.

Moving swiftly down the hall, he was trying to get a grip on the door handle when Audra opened her door. "Karen! Nick, what happened?" She ran to Karen's door and opened it for Nick.

"I don't know for certain what happened but I think Gregori Dastrovsky tried to take Karen from Heath and Adam. Jarrod went with a dozen hands to find them. Mother would like to know if you would feel up to sitting with her until Adam and Heath get back. She wants me to help organize the hands to keep the house protected until Jarrod brings both of them back."

"Who is this Gregori Dastrovsky?"

"Apparently, his wife is the one who kidnapped Karen the first time." He gently lay Karen on her bed after Audra pulled back the covers. Then, he helped his sister pull the covers up over the young woman between them. "Can you sit with her?"

"Of course. You go. Help Mother organize the hands to keep the house safe. We'll be just fine up here."

"Just keep yourself and her safe, Audra. I don't think Mother would be pleased if anything happened to Karen. Or you." Nick kissed Karen's forehead and then kissed his sister's forehead. He left the room, knowing that Audra would do whatever was necessary to protect both herself and Karen.

Audra sat down on the bed beside Karen. "Karen, are you alright? Do you need anything?"

Karen was shaking as if she were cold. "An extra blanket would be nice. Please."

Audra nodded and went to the wardrobe to pull an extra thick woolen blanket to put over Karen.

As she tucked it up over her charge, she noticed a bruise on the side of her head, just sticking out a bit from the hairline. "Karen, how did you get this bruise? The one on the side of your head?"

"As I was riding away from the men trying to take me, I fell off Flame Star and hit my head on a rock. It wasn't sharp but it did hurt. Flame Star must have noticed that I fell off because he came back and nuzzled me to get up. I got back on him and we continued on for the house. I thought that if I could get back here I could send help for Heath and Adam. Has anyone gone after them?"

"Jarrod took about a dozen of the hands and rode out for them. I'm hoping they'll be back soon with Adam and Heath with them. Once we're sure everything is settled and safe, we'll get the doctor out here to take a look at that. In the meantime, if you fall asleep, I'll have to wake you up often enough to keep you alert and make sure that you know what's going on around you." Audra brushed a lock of hair back from Karen's face and looked down at her sadly. "I hate the thought of doing that but I've been told by a couple of different doctors that it's necessary to keep someone from slipping away in their sleep."

"I understand, Audra. I just hope this doesn't bother you too much."

"I don't mind helping you out and watching out for you, Karen. I've told you before you're like my little sister. And I don't consider that idle talk. Just you relax. Jarrod and the hands will bring back both Adam and Heath in no time and we'll all be safe. Those men wouldn't dare attack us here. Not where we have the advantage. They would be fools and I don't think that this Dastrovsky fellow is one to hire fools."

"I hope you're right. I don't want to think of anyone getting hurt because of me."

"I'm going to tell you this right now, Karen. And then I don't want to hear anymore about it. This is not because of you. It's because other people seem to think they have the right to mess with your life. You didn't ask for this and you don't want it. You just want to live your life in peace and harmony. Not in chaos. So, no more blaming yourself. This isn't on you."

"Can we talk later, Audra? I'm getting sleepy."

"Of course, Karen. You rest. I'll wake you in a while to make sure that your head injury isn't doing you any harm."

"Okay." Before Audra knew it, Karen was sound asleep. Audra smiled at Karen and sat back in the chair, picking up a book she had brought in with her.

As she read, she heard some racket in the front yard. She set her book aside and stood to look out the window. A smile crossed her face as she saw Adam and Heath ride into the front yard with Jarrod and the ranch hands that had left with him to find them. She watched both Heath and Adam bolt for the door as soon as they had dismounted.

She had figured that Heath would be in a hurry to see Karen and Adam wouldn't be far behind. His sister meant everything to Adam and he wasn't ashamed to show it either.

Heath's gentle knock on the door amazed Audra. She almost hadn't expected him to knock before entering the room. She got up and walked over to let him in. He walked in and stared at the young woman laying on the bed. "An extra blanket, Audra?" he asked as Adam walked in behind him.

"She asked for it, Heath. She was shivering so badly when Nick brought her in that she wanted an extra blanket. I looked in her wardrobe. I saw that blanket so I covered her with it and within a few minutes she was sound asleep. She told me about what happened though. She was afraid that you two would have been hurt when she rode off the way she did."

Heath shook his head. "They asked us what was going on. What we had planned. We told them that we had no idea what she was doing but that it wouldn't be a good idea to try following Flame Star. He's too fast and has amazing stamina. I even told them that he was probably back at the house by that time and they'd have no chance of ever catching him. They turned around and rode off after telling us that they'd catch up with Karen some other day. Then, she'd be sorry for all the trouble she'd caused Dastrovsky." He took a deep breath. "Once they were gone, Adam and I started back toward the house, using a zigzag pattern of sorts to make sure they hadn't doubled back and followed us. I found this laying on the ground next to a large rock." He held up the kerchief that Karen had been wearing when they left the house that morning.

"Oh God! Heath, she told me that she fell off Flame Star and hit her head on a rock. The bruise is there, just below the hairline. I noticed it as I was tucking her in with the extra blanket." Audra moved up next to Karen and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Karen. Karen, honey. Karen, I need you to wake up for a few minutes. Please." She looked at Heath when she got little response. "Karen, Heath and Adam are back. They're here in your room and want you to wake up and talk to them for a few minutes."

Karen opened her eyes and looked at Audra. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About thirty minutes, honey. But look. Both Heath and Adam are here. They wanted to see for themselves that you're okay. That's why I woke you up."

Audra reached to help Karen as she struggled to sit up. She adjusted the pillows to help prop the young woman up in the bed before tucking the blankets around her to keep her warm.

"Heath, Adam, I'm so glad you made it back okay." Karen looked close to tears. "I'm sorry I left you behind like that. I was so frightened. I figured if I made a run for it, the two of you would be safe. And, if I got back here, I would be safe until you could get back."

Heath sat down on one side of the bed and Adam sat on the other. Both men reached out and took Karen's hands. Adam spoke first. "Karen, honey, don't apologize. You did what you did because you were scared. At least, you thought to come back here where you knew you would be safe. We aren't mad. Not at all. We're glad that you made it back here."

Heath noticed the edge of the bruise sticking out from the hairline on the left side of Karen's head. "Honey, is this where you hit your head on that rock?" He ghosted his fingers over the part of the bruise that was showing.

"Yes. It hurts but I haven't had any dizzy spells. Not like what happened when the rock hit me when I escaped from Anabelle.

"It's on the same side though. That worries me some, Karen." Adam's voice even told Karen that he really was worried about this. "We'll keep a close eye on you for a while. Don't get upset if we seem to always be nearby. I just want to make sure that you really are okay."

"Adam, you've always been protective of me. More so than Little Joe or Hoss ever could have been. I promise to try to remember why you're always there if I start feeling smothered." Karen smiled at her brother and hugged him.

"Karen, I want you to rest. Jarrod has already sent a couple of hands to fetch the doctor. We'll make sure we wake you when he gets here so that he can examine you. In the meantime, we want to make sure that everyone's watching out for people that don't belong here."

"Heath, can I go back to sleep until the doctor gets here? I'm getting sleepy again."

"Just rest, honey. We'll stay with you and like I said, we'll wake you when he gets here. I promise. We aren't going anywhere."

Heath and Adam both helped Karen snuggle back down under the covers and tucked them in tight around her. They both hoped that she hadn't heard what the men had said about catching her some other day.

Both men hoped that those words hadn't registered in her subconscious mind. Because they both feared what that knowledge would do to the young woman between them.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: My humblest apologies for taking so long but an original work I'm doing kind of took over my time. Here is the next chapter.

* * *

Karen hadn't heard the conversation between Audra, Heath and Adam but she could tell that something was going on because the three of them were always close by. Jarrod and Nick were too but not as much. It made her feel safe while at the same time giving her the impression that she was missing something. She didn't like that feeling.

"Heath, what haven't you and Adam told me about the problem the other day?" she asked him one morning while sipping some lemonade on the front porch. Victoria had been told about everything and had decided to keep Karen at the ranch for another week or two.

"I don't know what you mean, Karen. We told you everything that happened after you took off."

"Why do I feel like I'm missing something then? I feel like there's something you haven't told me. Your mother is even keeping a closer eye on me than usual."

"Karen, you fell off a horse and hit your head on a rock. In nearly the same spot that one had hit you before. We just want to make sure that there are no delayed effects from that. Not all problems show up right after something like that."

"Heath, your mother has decided that I'm not going back to school just yet. I'm afraid I'm going to fall behind if I don't go back soon. I don't want to fall behind."

"Karen, Mother has already made arrangements to bring your work to you. In fact, I'm going on Friday to get next week's work and she brought this week's back with her when she came back from the school. I promise you, you will not fall behind."

Karen sighed. "I just hate feeling like there's something I'm not being told that pertains to me."

Heath nodded. He understood that feeling and he hated it just as much. He was certain, however, that it would do no good at all to tell Karen what the men had said and why she was being kept at the ranch for a bit longer. And Adam had agreed with him. That's why the man had decided to extend his visit for a while. He had even sent a telegram to his father explaining his delay. They were just waiting to hear back from Ben.

Adam was certain that his father would approve of him staying longer to protect his little sister. Ben knew that Adam would defend his sister with his own life if it came down to that. And he wouldn't hesitate to kill to defend her either. That was one reason that Jarrod, Nick and Heath were all glad that Adam was staying. They were very worried that someone would try to take Karen from them. And none wanted to see that.

Heath and Adam had told the others what the men had said after Karen rode off that day and all of them agreed that they needed to keep Karen close for now. They couldn't take any chances with the young woman's safety. There was no telling what they might do to her if they got their hands on her. She might survive the trip to Dastrovsky and then again she might not.

Heath and Adam were both worried about Karen's state of mind after the altercation. They weren't sure that she was ready to head back to school yet and thankfully, Victoria agreed with them. So it was that Karen was denied the return to school.

Lydia and the other girls had heard that Karen was being kept out of school for a bit longer because she wasn't feeling well and she didn't want to take the chance that it would spread to the rest of the class.

"I'll bet she just got scared and decided to not come back," Lydia said snidely while sitting on the front porch one afternoon.

"If that were the case, the Barkleys would have come and collected her things."

"Kristin, maybe she just ran off somewhere and they just told her family that they wouldn't collect her things. That if they wanted them, they would have to come and get them themselves."

"The Barkleys aren't like that. They would collect Karen's things and hold them until they could get them to the family. And if Karen had just ran off, the Barkleys would be out looking for her, not staying at home. I think she's sick just like they said."

"You're so naive, Kristin. She's been loose and gotten herself in a family way. The Barkleys are keeping her there until she delivers the baby."

"I don't think so, MaryEllen. Karen's not like that. She was raised better. The Cartwrights would never let a girl of theirs behave that way. That's not the way they are."

"And how would you know, Kathleen? The Cartwright family isn't from around here."

"Because I have family around Virginia City. And they're good friends with Ben Cartwright. They were pleased when I wrote and told them that Karen had decided to come to school here. They asked me to relay their best wishes to her for steady success in her studies."

"I doubt that," Lydia's snide tone had finally gotten to most of the girls and they just got up and went inside to their rooms where they wouldn't have to listen to Lydia's hateful words. "See. They're all leaving because they know I'm right. That's the way it always happens. I'm right and so everybody that doesn't agree with me walks away. It's the way I always know that I've hit a nerve too. Usually after I say something that hits a nerve, people bothered by it won't talk to me for days afterward. I guess I'll get some true peace and quiet to do my studying for the next few days."

Each of the girls that left the porch just shook their heads. They didn't realize that Lydia was just trying to isolate Karen so that when she came back she would have no friends and she would choose to leave the school.

Lydia left the porch shortly after and headed over to the stable where her lover was waiting for her. Lydia didn't know it but the man she was playing with actually worked for Gregori Dastrovsky. He was playing Lydia for a fool and would eventually turn her over to his boss to play with.

Martin Jameson was a clever man. He would make a good choice in offering his boss the little lady he was dallying with as a play toy. It would provide the man a distraction until they could bring him Karen Cartwright.

"There you are, lovely. I've been waiting for you."

"You have?"

"I have. I need your help. I have figured out a way to get Karen away from Heath for good and then you can slip in and take her place as his girlfriend."

"What about you?"

"I'll be alright. I want to see you happy and Karen needs to vanish to make you happy." He kissed Lydia's lips and ran his hands over her body.

"What do I need to do?"

"We need to get her back here. I have someone who wants her and will keep her away from Heath forever. He wants to take her out of the country to somewhere Heath'll never think to look."

"Really? Where?"

"He hasn't told me. All he tells me is that if we can get her to him, she'll disappear and everyone will forget about her given time. Then, you get Heath all to yourself."

"You think that he would turn to me to heal his broken heart?"

"I really do. Do you think you can get her back here so that I can lead her out to where my employer can take her away?"

"I'll try. I really will. I'll see if I can go visit her. I'll insist that you go with me as protection if I should need it. When we get there I'll try to get her to go for a ride with me. You lead us out to where your employer can take her away and then we'll ride back and claim that she rode off without us at some point. We looked for her but didn't find any sign of her. Of course, the Barkley's will start searching for her but they won't find her either. Eventually, they'll give up on the search and then, I'll have Heath all to myself."

"I like that sound of that, sweetheart. I think that will work. I have a meeting with a representative of the boss later tonight. You start working on your end and I'll tell the boss' man about the plan. He can relay the message to the boss and by the time that happens, we'll have everything set up to take care of all of that. Once the boss knows what's going on, he'll have someone ready to come and meet us to take care of Karen. Then, she'll be out of your hair and Heath will be all yours."

Both smiled evilly before going their separate ways.

Just a few days after her conversation with her man, Lydia managed to get permission to go and visit Karen at the Barkley ranch. She seemed rather excited that they were letting her go. Of course, she had been asked to deliver Karen's next round of homework so that she wouldn't fall behind.

"Of course, Mrs. Anderton. I'd be happy to help out like that."

"Then, I take it you've learned your lesson about bullying others?"

"Yes, ma'am. I have. I realize that bullying others only succeeds in leaving me lonely and miserable." Lydia bowed her head for a moment and then looked up at Mrs. Anderton. "I would like to change but I may need some help to find the right path for myself. Would you help me, Mrs. Anderton?"

Jocelyn was amazed. She wasn't completely certain that Lydia was sincere in her request. Especially not when she requested that Andrew Shorton go with her for protection if needed. Jocelyn didn't trust Andrew. He was secretive and quiet.

"I will help you, dear. But you have to remember that this will not be an easy journey. It will require a great deal of hard work on your part in order to make the progress."

"I'm willing to do the work. Just please don't give up on me if I slip."

"As long as you continue to try. I think I can continue to work with you as long as I can see that you're still trying."

"I promise, Mrs. Anderton. I promise to continue to try." Lydia was smiling at Jocelyn but inside she was applauding her own performance and scheming how to get Heath to be her lover as quickly as possible. She wanted to make sure that he had no way to get away from her. ** She just hoped that the first time she got him in bed with her would be the lucky time that she would get pregnant and then he'd have to marry her.

"Well, make sure that you behave yourself through the coming week. Otherwise, I may have to send someone else with Karen's assignments."

"I'll behave, Mrs. Anderton." Lydia walked away with a smirk on her face. Step one to catching Heath Barkley was complete.


	15. Chapter 15

Lydia was very surprised when she arrived at the Barkley ranch on Saturday. There was Karen sitting in the living room with the two women of the family and a man who Lydia didn't recognize. He wasn't from around here and so she became quite interested in him.

"Hello."

"Good morning, Mrs. Barkley. My name is Lydia Fontaine and I am here to deliver Karen's lessons for the upcoming week. I was also hoping that I could visit with Karen for a bit."

Everyone present in the living room had noticed Karen stiffen just slightly when she recognized Lydia. Victoria and Audra immediately knew that this was the girl who had been accusing Karen of being less than ladylike with Heath. They didn't need her to tell them what had happened between them. It was obvious.

It was just as obvious to Adam that his little sister wasn't comfortable with the other girl around. He would keep an eye on things.

"Of course you may visit for a little while. But we wouldn't want to keep you from your studies. I know that the school hands out homework for you girls to do on the weekend. And you always have your weekend chores that need to be done."

"Of course, Mrs. Barkley. I will need to leave later on in order to get back to help with supper. But I was hoping that in the meantime, maybe Karen would like to go riding with me."

"Karen?" Victoria's question left no doubt in Karen's mind that should she decide to go riding with this girl, there would be precautions taken. Karen decided she wasn't going to let Lydia cow her into not going riding. After all, Karen was still in charge of exercising the older horses.

"I'll go change. I can look the assignments over after our ride. Besides, the older horses still need their exercise." Karen stood up. Audra stood as well.

"Mother, if it's alright with Karen, I'd like to accompany her."

"I'd like that Audra. Thank you," Karen replied. She had already figured that Audra would come along and she hoped that Adam would as well.

Adam stood up and looked to both young women. "Would you mind an extra riding along? After all, I did come to visit and it would never do to allow the woman I'm courting to ride out alone. And at least this way, you and I would have a chaperone, Miss Audra," Adam said, with a slight smile on his face. Right off, Audra, Victoria and Karen knew what he was doing. Karen realized that he didn't want Lydia knowing that he was related to Karen. She might not try whatever it was she had up her sleeve and he was betting that she had something planned for this little ride.

Lydia was growling on the inside. More people meant more to distract to get Karen off by herself so she could be taken.

But she just smiled and said, "I have no problem with it."

Karen smiled at Adam with gratitude as did Victoria. Adam would be more than capable of protecting Karen while Audra was backing him up. She could even get Karen back home safely as Adam covered them if need be.

Adam didn't want anyone thinking that he was there to see Karen and make sure that she was okay. If this girl who obviously was not his sister's friend had something planned to hurt Karen, he wanted to be there to prevent it. So he pretended to be Audra's beau in order to have an excuse to go along. It was the best he could think of at the moment. He knew that Audra would probably have figured it out already and he was certain Karen would after a bit, if she hadn't already figured it out.

Karen meanwhile had figured it out. She was certain that Adam was playing off that he was actually there visiting Audra as her beau in order to keep a closer eye on whatever it was that Lydia had planned. She knew he'd caught on to the fact that she'd tensed up when Lydia walked into the room and that she wasn't exactly sure about being out with Lydia for a ride.

As soon as Karen and Audra had changed for their ride, the three headed out to the stable to saddle up horses. Karen, as usual, took Flamestar. Audra took Cordin and Adam was taking Talisin. Lydia rode the horse that she had brought from the school and Martin rode the one he had arrived on.

Karen led the way with Lydia next to her. Martin was back just a bit and Adam and Audra rode behind him, acting like the loving couple. Adam was keeping a close eye on his sister the whole time and knew that Audra was doing the same.

Audra also knew that Heath, Nick and Jarrod were out this way working the fence line. They knew that some of the fence had been damaged by the last storm that had tore through the area. She knew that they would have an advantage if something went wrong out here.

The five had been riding for some time when they found a nice place to stop and take a break. Adam and Audra sat down in the grass just a little away from where Karen and Lydia were sitting. Martin looked at everyone and said, "I'll keep an eye on the horses while everyone takes a bit of a break."

"Thank you, Martin," Lydia said before sitting down next to Karen. "You know, Karen, everyone at the school keeps wondering why you haven't come back yet. Mrs. Anderton only told us that you had been sick. You seem quite healthy to me."

"I was sick. It came on quite suddenly and had me coughing a lot. I was also suffering with a terrible sore throat and fever. Ms. Victoria didn't want to risk me infecting the rest of the school so she made the call to keep me here for a while longer to make sure that I was fully over it before allowing me to return to school."

"Well, I'm glad to see you looking so good right now. Would you like to take a walk with me? We won't go far. Just stretching our legs after that ride."

"I think that would be okay. Just let me tell Audra that we're going to walk about a bit."

"Of course."

Karen climbed to her feet and walked over to where Audra sat with Adam. "Audra, Lydia and I are going to walk around for a bit and stretch our legs. We shouldn't be too long and not far away."

"Are you sure that you want to do that?" Adam asked. "I saw the way you reacted to her when she walked into the house. Tell me that you're being careful. Karen, I don't trust her. And I trust that man she brought with her even less. Stay within sight of us."

"I promise, Adam. Just remember, you're not supposed to be paying attention to me. You are here visiting your intended."

Adam laughed. "I know. But I think I'll keep a subtle eye on my intended's little sister anyway. After all, she would be quite upset to loose you."

Karen smiled at her brother. She knew that he would worry about her no matter what she said. She walked back to where Lydia had gotten to her feet and the two started walking.

Next thing Karen knew, she'd been led into a wooded part of the land and she couldn't see Adam and Audra. She got nervous because she'd gotten wrapped up in the conversation she'd been having with Lydia about school and hadn't truly paid attention to where they were going. She wasn't sure she could find her way back.

"What's wrong, Karen?" Lydia asked.

"I'm not sure I can find my way back to everyone else."

"Don't worry. You don't have to. You're not going back. We're going to wait right here until someone comes to collect us. You'll be leaving the country and I'll be here to pick up the pieces of poor Heath's broken heart."

Just then, two men came out of the trees walking toward the two girls. "I see you managed to get her away from the others."

"Of course. Here she is. Take her and go."

"No one's taking her anywhere," came Heath's voice as he rode out of the trees nearby. "Not unless it's me taking her back to the house."

"Heath!" The relief in Karen's voice made Heath feel better about having shadowed the girls. He'd seen them walk off from the others and he didn't trust Lydia any further than Adam did.

"And what if we just grab her and ride away? Would you take the chance on shooting her just to take us out?"

"Knowing what would happen to her if you get her to your boss? Yes. Yes I would. I won't let you ruin her like that." He was confident in his ability to shoot them and not kill Karen. He had worked hard on his marksmanship. Of course, he also knew that Nick and Jarrod were close by watching and if either man made a move toward Karen they would be shot dead before they could even get close enough to touch her.

"You can't shoot us both before one of us gets to her. The boss gave us our orders. She comes with us or she dies." The one speaking pulled his gun from its holster and pointed it at Karen. "And I won't shoot her nice and let her die quick. I'll gut shoot her. Let her die real slow and painful. Want to watch that, boy?"

"You won't shoot her. Because I can tell you right now that my brothers are watching you from an angle that allows them to get the best kill shot. And you won't ever find them before they can get you." He moved his horse one step closer to Karen. "Karen, walking backward, come to me. Don't turn your back on them. Come on, honey. I'm right here. Come to me."

"Are Nick and Jarrod really close by?"

"They are. These two wouldn't stand a chance if they move towards you."

"Don't bet on that, little boy. We're close enough to grab her and then your brothers won't be able to take the shot." The first guy lunged toward Karen only to fall dead at her feet. The second guy threw down his guns and put both of his hands on his head.

"I surrender. I surrender." Nick and Jarrod walked out of the trees and took the second guy's guns. Jarrod walked over to the first guy. He checked his pulse and looked at Heath, shaking his head.

Walking back to his brother, he pulled out a length of rope and tied the second guy's hands behind his back before making him walk out of the trees ahead of him. Nick took Lydia's arm and walked her back out of the woods.

Heath was left with Karen. He climbed down off his horse when he realized that she wasn't moving. He walked up to her carefully. "Karen? Karen honey? Are you alright?"

Slowly, she turned around and looked at Heath. He noticed the blood on her clothes. Thankfully, he didn't see any wounds on her.

She looked so shaken that all he wanted was to take her in his arms. He wanted so much to simply hold her right then and make sure that she was alright. Suddenly, she started shaking and tears started rolling down her face. She looked down at her feet. "I can't make them move." Her voice was so quiet that he wasn't even sure that she had actually spoken.

"Did you say something, honey?" He stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "What did you say, sweetheart?"

"I can't make my feet move. I couldn't make them walk to you." She looked up at Heath and then collapsed into his arms, sobbing helplessly.

Heath sunk to the ground holding her gently. "I'm here, Karen. I've got you now. I'm right here."

Just moments later, Adam and Audra burst through the trees. Both dropped to their knees close by. Adam reached out a hand and touched his sister's shoulder. She turned just enough to see who it was and threw herself into her brother's arms while taking Audra's hand and making sure that Heath held her other hand.

None of them moved until they started noticing the sun going down. Heath let go of Karen's hand and knew, when she didn't move that she was sound asleep in her brother's arms. "I'll get up on my horse and you can hand her up to me, Adam."

"I'll lead Flamestar back," Audra said as she climbed to her feet. Adam stood up with Karen cradled in his arms.

Once he had handed his sister into Heath's arms, Adam and Audra walked carefully back out of the woods to find that the three remaining horses had stayed where they were supposed to be. Adam and Audra mounted up and then Audra grabbed the reins for Flamestar before they started home.

When the four entered the front yard, one of the hands ran up and took Flamestar from Audra. Another stepped to Heath's side and held out his arms to take Karen for Heath to get down. He noticed that hands had also stepped to help with taking care of Adam's and Audra's horses.

Heath handed off Karen only long enough for him to get down off the back of his horse. Once solidly on the ground, he took her back into his arms. The three headed straight for the house and went directly inside.

Victoria had been sitting in the living room when they entered the house. "Oh, poor Karen! Is she alright?"

"I don't think she's hurt, Mother. But she is asleep and I'd like to take her up to her room. Audra can help her clean up and get her changed into her nightgown. Then we'll know for certain if she's injured or not."

"Well, I'll come along and help Audra. Nick and Jarrod took those two men and that awful girl into town to turn them over to the sheriff. Adam, will you go and ask Silas to bring some hot water to Miss Karen's room so that we can wash her up?"

Adam nodded. "I certainly will, Ms. Victoria. I was hoping there was something I could do to help." He left the room as Heath carried Karen up to her room with Audra right in front of him on the stairs and Victoria right behind him.

Walking into Karen's room, Heath gently set her down on her bed. He kissed her forehead and stepped away from the bed. "Mother, I'll just wait in the hallway until you've finished up. Then, if it's alright with you, I'll sit with her until she wakes up."

"I think that will be alright. Just keep a close eye on her. She may have nightmares after today. She'll need comforting."

"I'll be right here, Mother. I promise."

"Thank you, Heath."

Heath stepped out in the hallway and slid down the wall across from Karen's door. As he sat there on the floor waiting to hear that she was changed and ready for him to sit with her for a while, he thought back to the way things had unfolded out there. Had there been anything different he could have done to protect her from all of that? Could he have said something that didn't make it sound like he would have rather seen her dead than taken?

He decided that he could have tried to skirt the issue of knowing exactly what Gregori would have done had he gotten his hands on Karen. She would have been debased in every way imaginable. He knew that. He knew it and hated it. Hated the fact that he had made a choice that could have seen Karen dead rather than end up in Gregori's hands.

He put his head in his hands and sat there as he waited to for the women to get her changed and cleaned up. He had come so close to losing her. So very close. Because he would have shot her had they tried riding off with her. Not by choice but he wasn't about to let Gregori Dastrovsky get his hands on the woman that Heath loved.

"Heath? Heath, are you okay?"

Heath looked up and saw Adam standing in front of him. "Is Silas bringing the water that Mother asked for?"

"He is. I was just going to knock on the door to let her know that he should be up shortly with it. He was already boiling some water to work on the dishes with. He decided he would bring that up and start heating some more."

"Please let her know. Then you can sit with me and I'll tell you what's bothering me."

Adam turned to the door and knocked. Victoria opened it just a crack. "Yes, Adam?"

"I thought I should let you know that Silas will be up shortly with some of the water he'd been heating for dishes. He said that he can always heat more."

"Thank you, Adam." Victoria closed the door and Adam turned back to Heath. He sat down next to the young man who had managed to fall for his little sister.

"Now, why don't you tell me why you look like you're afraid that someone is going to hate you after today?"  
"Because I'm afraid your sister is going to hate me for what I said out there."

"Why? What did you say? What could possibly make her hate you?"

"One of the men asked if I would take the chance of shooting Karen to keep them from taking her from us. I said that I would because I knew what their boss would do to her if he got his hands on her. I would rather see her dead than to have suffer through that indignation. That nightmare. I can only hope she doesn't hate me for that."

"Heath, if she hates anyone for that, it would be the men that put both of you in that situation in the first place. She will probably respect you more for being strong enough to take her out of that situation one way or another. She will also probably respect you for being able to say it and not try to hide your thoughts from her." He put a hand on Heath's shoulder. "She respects honesty, Heath. Honesty means everything to her. Give her that and you have her at your side."

Just then the door to Karen's room opened. "Someone needs to go for the doctor. The shot that killed the first man out there grazed Karen's shoulder. I want to make sure that there is no further damage than just grazing the skin."

"I'm leaving now," Adam said getting to his feet. He bolted for the stairs stopping himself when he noticed Silas on his way up with a bowl of hot water. Once Silas had made it to the top of the stairs and past Adam, the man ran down the stairs and out the front door.

Heath looked up at his mother. She stepped out further, allowing Silas to go in, and closed the door behind her. "Karen has been awake, at least partially. She says that you said out there that in order to protect her from what that beast would have done to her you would have shot her rather than see her go through that debasement."

"I did say that, Mother. And I meant it. I would rather see her dead than raped repeatedly by a man who blamed her for what was not her fault."

"She asked me to tell you that she doesn't hate you for that. She's glad you would have spared her such a fate. Because if you hadn't, she would have done it herself." Heath's face paled.

"Please tell me she didn't mean what I think she may have meant."

"I won't lie to you, Heath. I think she meant exactly what you think she did. She would have killed herself rather than face that nightmare."

Heath bowed his head. He didn't know what to think about what his mother had just told him. He didn't know if he could ever face Ben Cartwright had that happened to Karen. If she had killed herself instead of allowing herself to be raped, Heath would have found the world a very cold and lonely place.

Victoria placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Heath, I am very grateful that you and your brothers protected her from that fate. I'm certain I know Ben Cartwright well enough that he will also be grateful. Now, why don't you let me go in and see if she's ready for you to sit with her?"

Heath got up off the floor and stood patiently while his mother went into the room to help Audra finish cleaning up and getting Karen into her nightgown. When the two women stepped out with Silas, Heath went into the room.

The three of them went downstairs, leaving Heath to sit his vigil in Karen's room by her bed.


End file.
